


Throw Away Your Mask, My Dear

by softegaby



Category: Persona 2, Persona 5
Genre: Akira Kurusu needs a hug, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst with a Happy Ending, Boys In Love, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Persona 5 Protagonist Has A Palace, Persona 5: The Royal, Persona 5: The Royal Spoilers, TatsuJun - Freeform, tatsuya and jun are akira's parents
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-31
Updated: 2020-10-09
Packaged: 2021-03-05 20:42:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 23,507
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25631482
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/softegaby/pseuds/softegaby
Summary: Goro Akechi is surprised to find out he survived both Shido's palace and Maruki's fake reality. However, when he finds out that Akira is in jail and possibly not coping as well as he wants everyone to think, he has to help.Surely there's no chance that Akira managed to form a palace after everything that has happened, right?
Relationships: Akechi Goro/Amamiya Ren, Akechi Goro/Kurusu Akira, Akechi Goro/Persona 5 Protagonist, Kurosu Jun/Suou Tatsuya
Comments: 75
Kudos: 276





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi y'all!! So I finally managed to start my "Akira has a palace AU" fic and I am so excited!! I discussed this idea in my discord server with some other folks and I got so invested in the idea of Akira having a palace that I simply had to write this! Also the fact that this fic has shuake makes me super excited! These boys are so deep in love for each other. Also Tatsuya and Jun are Akira's dads in this story simply because and I love that idea so much. I can already tell this is gonna be a long story, but I am excited to continue writing the next chapters. I hope you all enjoy this first chapter and look forward to the next upcoming chapters!
> 
> Just for some clarification, this takes place after the PT take down Maruki, since I'm not sure if it's explicit at the beginning and I'm too lazy to go back and change it, especially after I had it proofread. ANYWAYS, hope y'all enjoy it!

There are many thoughts and feelings swirling through Goro’s head as he finally leaves that godforsaken hospital. 

He is still surprised that he actually survived through Shido’s palace, the bullet barely missing his heart. He remembers having to limp through the palace, lucky enough to hide in a safe room. He spent those moments thinking about his life and how it would all end; how he wouldn’t get to see his father go down in ruins, how he wouldn’t get to have his long awaited revenge he so meticulously planned for two years, and how he wouldn’t get to see Akira again. 

Ah yes, Akira Kurusu, the one person who was able to see the real Goro and accept him for who he was. 

The ravishing boy with hair that despite being a mop, looked silky and soft to the touch. The boy who kept his gorgeous, bold eyes hidden behind glasses; his irises a deep, dark grey that communicated Akira’s deepest thoughts and emotions openly. The boy with a heart of gold, always helping those in need and reaching out to others that need a friend. 

The boy Goro Akechi had fallen madly in love with.

When he rummages through all of his regrets in life, it wasn’t just his failure to exact revenge on his father that he regretted, but all of the people he’d hurt in the process, especially Akira. His biggest regret was pushing Akira away. The one person who truly wanted to know about the real Goro Akechi, not just the celebrity Detective Prince. He was the one person that had seen glimpses of the real Goro Akechi and later truly saw his malicious side when he shot a bullet through the thief’s head. Regardless, Akira had still reached out to him back then. He’d extended a hand towards him, even after Goro made himself go psychotic in an attempt to kill Akira again, along with his teammates. However, even after all the chances the boy gave him, Goro still threw it all away when he tried to sacrifice himself for him, his last act of love for Akira. 

Somehow, he’d managed to survive the collapse of Shido’s palace and Maruki’s fake reality and ended up at a hospital, where he’d remained for several weeks. He went through many surgeries, even dying momentarily during one of them, as the hospital staff tried to save him. 

Today, he was finally able to leave. He hated the general environment of hospitals, the way their sterile atmosphere choked the unfortunate inhabitants that happened to find their way there and the impending feeling of loss and emptiness that Goro always felt every time he stepped foot in a hospital. 

As Goro starts walking, he suddenly remembers he has no place to stay. He is sure Shido’s goons would have confiscated his apartment, and are perhaps lying in wait for him so they can finish eliminating the loose ends Shido had left behind. Goro sighs in frustration, knowing he’ll have to use whatever money he still has on him to stay in a hotel, unless he is willing to rough it out on the streets. 

It is then that a dangerous suggestion of where to stay crosses Goro’s mind - Leblanc. 

It’s true there’s a place to live in the attic above the shop, since that’s where Akira has been staying for the duration of his time in Tokyo, but he absolutely cannot go there. For one, does Akira even know he is alive? If not, how would he react when he sees Goro Akechi, in the flesh, walk into the cafe, asking for a place to stay? Not only that, but does Akira even _want_ to see Goro again? He wouldn’t be surprised if Akira kicks him out, angry at Goro for trying to kill not only him, but his friends, and demands that Goro never show his face to Akira, or even in the vicinity of the cafe, ever again. 

That thought hurts more than he’d like to admit even now, and Goro subconsciously grabs at his coat, right above where his heart is. 

Even though he absolutely agrees with the decision he thinks Akira would make, even though Goro constantly tells himself he doesn’t deserve Akira, even though he would have never admitted it before, Goro has now come to terms with his feelings. He could acknowledge that his initial crush on the raven haired boy grew and grew until he’d eventually fallen in love with him. Akira is important to Goro, and if the only person he grew to respect and love never wants to see him again, Goro isn’t sure he could take it. He knows he tried to kill him, so he shouldn’t be surprised at that outcome, but the thought still isn’t easy to cope with. Goro would probably shut himself away again, and never allow anyone else to try to get close to him. 

However, Goro realizes that Akira at least deserves to know the truth. Even if Akira yells at him, throws something at him, tells him he hates him and doesn’t want to see his traitorous face ever again, Akira deserves to know that he is at least alive. At least that is what Goro is trying to convince himself of. 

Though, if he is going to be completely honest with himself, something he is still trying to learn to do, the real reason is simple; he wants to see Akira again. He just wants to know that Akira is doing alright. That after all the shit he’d gone through, that he’d made it out, that he’s doing fine, and that he’s happy. 

It is a selfish desire, but that is simply how he is. Goro has always been selfish and is sure he will continue to be, at least in a way. 

He knows he’s made up his mind as his feet naturally carry him over to the station, to the same line he would take whenever he had free time to indulge in a coffee and occasionally a game of chess, and he, thankfully, finds an empty seat. 

Goro grumbles as his stomach starts to swerve and tumble. He clutches his stomach, hoping to contain the raging nerves, not allowing them to spill out. He hates having to deal with all of these new and foreign emotions. He doesn’t think he’s felt this nervous about anything since he was still living at the orphanage. He hates how vulnerable he feels, how open he is letting his emotions control him, even as he reminds himself that he is doing this for Akira. If he has to suffer with this new onslaught of emotions and vulnerability for Akira, he will do it. Although he wouldn’t admit that, not even to Akira.

Goro is so caught up in his raging storm of emotions and thoughts that he almost doesn’t realize he’s reached Yogen-Jaya until he hears the announcer repeat the destination again. He quickly exits the train and begins walking out of the station. 

He clenches his hands as the nerves start swirling around in his stomach even more intensely. He tries to take a few deep breaths, hoping to calm himself down. He must look like an idiot, standing outside getting nervous about entering a coffee shop, especially as it’s one he’s frequented so often that he already associates it with home. 

Although, Goro knows the true reason he’s nervous about entering Leblanc. Damn that stupid, adorable boy, with his stupid cute glasses and stupid fluffy hair.

As Goro approaches the small cafe, he then realizes he didn’t rehearse what he would say upon seeing Akira. He curses his emotions and thoughts internally. He doesn’t want to look suspicious, hanging out in front of a cafe without walking inside. 

Goro sighs and decides to just wing it. He likes to consider himself good at coming up with what to say on the spot, as it was a necessity when he was still a celebrity. 

He opens the door, the nostalgic ring of the bell jingling to signal his arrival. Goro is surprised to see that there’s nobody at the counter, except for Morgana. Thankfully he’s napping, for now, likely thinking that it’s simply a late customer. Then Goro hears a familiar gruff voice from the back of the cafe. 

“Sorry! We’re closed... Damn… I thought I flipped the sign….”

Goro stands rigidly still as he finally watches the man himself, Sojiro Sakura, walk up to the counter, probably curious to see who would come at such an hour for coffee. Goro notices that Sojiro looks a bit off. He is slouching far more than he normally does, and he has slight bags under his eyes. His entire posture and presence screams at just how exhausted Sojiro is, both physically and mentally. 

Goro starts to immediately feel guilty, even though he doesn’t know what is making Sojiro so exhausted. He supposes all of his repressed feelings of guilt are starting to resurface, although why at this particular time and place, Goro simply doesn’t know. 

Before he can even do or say anything, Sojiro glances up to see who walked into his store. His eyes widen in shock and surprise, until they narrow into a glare of pure anger at the ex Detective Prince. 

“You…!”

Goro flinches a bit at Sojiro’s tone and Morgana wakes up, arching his back in defense towards him. Goro crosses his arms defensively, curling a bit inwards as he tilts his head downwards in shame. He didn’t mean to react so weakly. He should’ve expected Sojiro to get angry with him, but his mind goes back to the adults at the orphanage, yelling when he would mess up something very simple and then scold him when he cried, telling him to stop being a crybaby. Goro lets out a shaky sigh as he manages to force out some words from his mouth. 

“I-I’m terribly sorry. I didn’t mean to intrude, I-I’ll just leave you be and-”

“Wait!” Sojiro calls out. He sighs as his face softens a bit. 

“I didn’t mean to scare you kid. It’s just… I got surprised, is all. Not to mention you tried to kill Akira, and how else am I supposed to react when the person who tried to kill him, and is supposedly dead, just shows up at my shop?” 

Goro sighs as he calms down a bit, although he’s still maintaining a stiff posture just to be safe. 

“Yes, that’s completely understandable, my apologies. I simply wanted to let Kuru- Akira know I was alive and well. Is he here, by any chance?” 

Sojiro and Morgana tilt their heads downwards as a brief look of sadness comes across their faces. Goro’s heart stops beating for a split second as he feels his stomach drop. No… that can’t mean what he thinks it does, can it? Thankfully, before Goro can imagine any more heartbreaking scenarios, Sojiro speaks up. 

“He’s… not here. He turned himself in to the police to testify against Shido. He’s been in juvie for a few weeks now.” Sojiro replies solemnly, looking at the month of February on his calendar. 

He hopes that Akira’s friends and contacts are able to gather the information they need to help Akira testify against Shido successfully. He hates imagining how Akira is faring in juvenile hall, considering Akira’s previous experiences with the police. 

Goro calms down slightly, glad that Akira isn’t dead like his stupid, overreactive brain thought, but frowns as he stares at the floor, hearing that Akira is in jail. It isn’t right. He should be the one behind bars. _HE_ was the one that tried to kill Akira, that had actually _succeeded_ in killing others, as the one behind the mental shutdowns. Akira only wanted to help people... and this was the price he paid? It wasn’t fair. 

Sojiro notices Goro looking very nervous and tense. He truly didn’t mean to scare the ex detective. He can’t truly be mad at Goro, as he did sacrifice himself to save the Phantom Thieves, or so Sojiro had gathered, but he isn’t sure how to feel about Goro showing up at the cafe. He still can’t forgive him for trying to kill Akira and the rest of the group, but he knows how much Goro has suffered and how he was manipulated by Shido. Akira told him everything. Sojiro can also see in Goro’s posture and face how guilty he feels, and that Goro is trying to do the right thing by letting Akira know he is still alive, knowing how Akira and possibly Goro feel about each other, it’s definitely the right move.   
  


“Sit down kid, I’ll whip up your favorite cup since you’re here.” Sojiro states as he turns around to prepare the best coffee Goro has ever had the delight of drinking. 

“O-oh no! You don’t have to do that Sakura-san! I really should be leaving. I am intruding after all.” Goro stutters out nervously, but before he can chicken out and leave, the warm aroma of Leblanc’s coffee fills the air, making Goro hesitate. Plus Sojiro’s face has a look saying he won’t allow Goro to leave just yet. 

“Nonsense. You look exhausted. Not to mention it’s getting late and I don’t want you to be wandering out in the streets at night. Besides, do you even have a place to stay? I doubt Shido’s goons will let you back in your apartment without a fight of sorts.”

Goro gulps as he realizes Sojiro is right. He completely forgot about not having a place to stay. He really is out of it. Knowing that he can’t argue against Sojiro, Goro sits down at his usual spot as he watches Sojiro pour his coffee and slide it over to him. 

He takes a sip as he sighs softly, letting the flavor and warmth flow throughout his whole body. He loves Sojiro’s coffee, although he personally likes the way Akira makes it better, despite Akira’s lack of experience. Goro curses his soft sentimentality as he thinks about that. He wonders if almost dying has made him soft. 

Sojiro watches Goro drink his coffee and sees most of the tension and stress melt away from the boy’s body as he continues to savor the hot drink. He does feel bad for him and can’t help but worry about his well being. He is still a kid in the end, and one who cares about Akira. Enough to show up here at night, with the risk of being yelled at to leave, or in the worst case, having the police called on him. 

Sojiro pulls up the stool near the back of the counter and sits across from Goro, his brows softening as he sees his coffee do wonders for Goro. The kid looks much more relaxed and calm. He did remember Akira mentioning that Leblanc felt more like home to Goro than his own apartment. Speaking of Akira and home…

“You’re welcome to stay here as long as you need to, kid. The bed is made, and while you can get some clothes tomorrow, you should borrow Akira’s clothing for tonight. You both are around the same height so they should fit. There’s also the bathhouse across the street if you need to clean up.”

Goro startles a bit from Sojiro’s voice, but then a small blush tints his cheeks. Simply thinking about sleeping in Akira’s bed and wearing his clothes is enough to do that to Goro now these days. Surely Sojiro must know how _intimate_ his offer sounds, right? But Sojiro has on a calm, welcoming face. Goro wouldn’t be surprised if Sojiro knew. That man was very perceptive in many ways. Goro is a little glad that Sojiro doesn’t seem to have any issues with it and that he is offering him all of this. However, there’s a part of Goro that feels a little guilty for simply barging in and Sojiro knowing he’s essentially homeless. He doesn’t deserve all of this kindness and warmth. 

“Ah, that’s very kind of you Sakura-san. But um, I don’t want to feel like I’m intruding or anything, and besides, you don’t have any real incentive to house me.”

“Take the offer, kid. I’m doing this because I want to. Plus, I know Akira would offer you the same thing. He’d kill me if I refused you shelter and food when you needed it, you know. He really cares a lot about you.”

Goro chuckles a bit as he sighs in mock annoyance. 

“Yes, I am well aware of that. Speaking of Akira, how is he doing in jail? I know you mentioned he turned himself in to testify against Shido. But is he faring well? I am pretty certain jail is more than just some mundane experience.” Goro asks with a hint of worry in his voice.

Sojiro sighs as he tries to figure out how to answer Goro truthfully without worrying him too much. But he can see how concerned Goro is about Akira, so he decides to tell him what he truly thinks. 

“If I’m going to be honest, I don’t think he’s faring too well, I’m afraid. I’ve only gone to visit him a few times when the shop wasn’t too busy, but I can tell he isn’t doing as well as he wants me to believe.” Sojiro states with a downtrodden face as he sighs. “He’s… acting… I don’t think cheerful is the right word, but he is acting as if everything is normal and fine. He’s too upbeat and talkative. Not that there’s anything necessarily wrong with that, but that simply isn’t Akira and you know that too. I wouldn’t be surprised if he is acting that way simply to satiate me. He knows I worry a lot about him.” 

Goro frowns in concern and worry as he steeples his hands underneath his chin. Akira is very close to Sojiro. He knows that he’s a phantom thief and knows that he will support Akira. So why would Akira have the need to put up an act like that for Sojiro? Morgana lets out a sigh, which slightly startles Goro, having forgotten the cat-not cat being was in the cafe as well. 

“Yeah, I’m worried for Akira too. Whenever I see him, he also acts the same way towards me, and I’ve heard he does the same to the other members as well. I don’t know what is up with him, but I want to find out.”

Goro nods as he buries his face in his hands. Great. As if he wasn’t already worried about Akira enough, hearing that he might not be coping well raises his stress very high. Why does Akira have to be so stubborn and why can’t he just tell others how he’s truly feeling instead of putting on a mask and- 

Goro stops his train of thought there, realizing how much of a hypocrite he sounds by thinking that. God, why does Akira have to be so selfless, to the point that it is a detriment to him both physically, mentally and emotionally? Goro may never understand that, but it’s something he loves about Akira. 

As much as it is a blow to his pride, he is more than grateful to Akira for acting selflessly towards Goro. He used his free time to willingly hang out with him and get to know him as a person, not as the Detective Prince. He genuinely wanted to learn about him and be his rival and even his friend. Even when Goro put up so many walls and let his rage and emotional turmoil get the best of him, Akira was still there for him. He still wanted to help Goro and continue to be his friend. And all Goro did was throw it away because he thought Akira was pitying him. He was such an idiot.

Goro’s eyes harden with resolution as he lifts his head up. Even though he’s not a detective right now, he still has his sense of justice and he has plenty of determination. He will find out what is wrong with Akira and help him. He deserves that at least, especially after all the shit Goro put Akira through. 

“If you don’t mind Sakura-san, may I accompany you to the prison the next time you visit? I want to find out what’s wrong with Akira and help him. I owe that to him, at the very least. He helped me, it is now my duty to return the favor.” Goro states with absolute resolution. 

Sojiro is surprised by Goro’s request. He didn’t expect Goro to be that serious about Akira. He can tell by the boy’s burning, bright eyes that he genuinely wants to help. It’s clear that Goro still harbors tremendous guilt and regret for his past actions, but wants to make amends. Sojiro respects that. 

“Of course kid. I was actually planning on going tomorrow. Thursdays are very slow for me anyway.” Sojiro replies as he gives Goro a soft look. “By the way, as I stated, you are welcome to stay here as long as you need to. However, I won’t let you stay here for free. Like I did with Akira, if you want to stay here, you must work for it - by helping out here at the cafe. Don’t worry, I can teach you to make coffee. That doesn’t sound like a bad deal now, does it? It’s not like you have much else to do.”

Goro is taken aback by the sudden declaration. He should have expected that he wouldn’t be housed for free, though, he doesn’t mind helping out at Leblanc. He wants to show that he is trying really hard to do good, even if it is one step at a time. Helping out at his favorite cafe will show that. Plus, the general atmosphere is very calming, and he needs something to keep him busy. 

“I agree to your terms, Sakura-san. Thank you very much again for allowing me to stay here.” Goro states as he slightly bows. 

“No problem. Well, I’m going to close up shop now, I need to get home to Futaba. You have a good night… Goro.” Sojiro says softly as he exits and locks the cafe. 

Goro lets out a sigh as he heads upstairs.. The attic is a bit dusty from not having anyone living up there for a couple of weeks. Goro grabs a duster he finds lying around and cleans off the dust before sitting down on the bed. He lets out another tired sigh as he thinks about the few times he’s been up here. Mostly it was during Phantom Thief meetings, but there were a few times he stayed later and simply chatted with Akira until he had to leave. He misses those simple days, when he could just be Goro Akechi in this small homely cafe with the boy that he cares so much about. 

He will find out what is up with Akira and help in any way he can. 

He is startled out of his thoughts when Morgana leaps up onto the edge of the bed. Goro tenses up a bit, still awkward around the cat. 

He knows that Morgana had always been wary of him and never liked him. He could remember hearing hushed conversations in which Morgana told Akira to be careful around him, stating how he wasn’t to be trusted and had ulterior motives, but Akira always defended Goro. Even when Akira knew of his ulterior motives and his actions as the Black Mask, he still had hope in and believed in Goro. 

Goro can’t blame Morgana for being cautious and Morgana has the right to hate him, especially after all he’d done. That doesn’t mean it didn’t sting though. Goro watches carefully as Morgana cautiously approaches Goro, his eyes examining him up and down. It feels, somehow, very unsettling. However, Morgana’s stare softens slightly as he sits next to Goro. 

“Listen Akechi, I can tell that you truly want to help Akira this time, I can see how worried you are about him, and I can also see your absolute determination and how much you care about him. However-” 

Of course Morgana would use this moment to say how he truly feels. 

“I am not sure I can still trust you one hundred percent. I also can’t forgive you for betraying us and trying to kill Akira and the rest of the Phantom Thieves. But if you are willing to be completely honest and truthful this time, I am willing to help you figure out what is wrong with Akira. I’m worried about him too... and I feel like it has something to do with you.”

Goro’s eyes widen at Morgana’s statement in surprise.   
  


“What do you mean, something to do with me?”

“Oh come on! Don’t tell me you’re actually that dense, Detective Prince!” Morgana exclaims sarcastically, then lowers his head. “He cares so much about you. You’re important to him. After you supposedly died again after we took down Maruki’s reality, Akira just broke. When we returned here, he mourned for you the whole night before he was supposed to go to jail. He was screaming and sobbing, saying how he was a failure and that he didn’t deserve to be a leader and other stuff like that. I… I’d never seen him that distraught before… It was honestly very heartbreaking just to hear, and I left him later that night so he could mourn privately.”

Morgana lifts his head back up as he stares at Goro directly in the eyes. 

“So don’t you see? You matter so much to him! Actually, I’d say he even loves you if I’m being completely honest, but I should let him tell you that himself.”

Goro is taken aback by Morgana’s last statement as a bright pink blush begins to dust his cheeks. He knew that Akira liked hanging out with him and talking with him, at least back then, but he didn’t think there was anything deeper going on between the two of them. Now that he thinks about it, Akira was always flirting playfully around with him and he noticed that as they spent more time together, Akira was getting more touchy with him, even hugging him a few times. 

It’s confirmed once more. Goro is an absolute idiot. 

“I...I see… But hold on. So, you think he’s still mourning and that’s affecting him?” Goro asked slowly.

“No, that’s the problem! He hasn’t let out those emotions since he turned himself in.”  
  
“I don’t understand, why couldn’t he simply mourn for me at the jail? Surely they allow him to do that at the very least.”

Morgana rolls his eyes as if Goro just said that the earth was flat.

“Of course they’d allow it! The problem though is that Sojiro asks the staff about Akira and how he’s doing. I’m sure that Akira doesn’t want Sojiro knowing that he’s not coping as well as he wants us to believe. Plus, Sojiro already worries a lot for him and if he knew that Akira wasn’t doing well, he’d probably tell Akira’s parents. While I have only seen them a few times when they came to visit Akira, I can see how much Akira loves them and he probably doesn’t want _them_ worrying about him either. He’s so stubborn. He thinks that he’s supposed to act all mighty and tough and like a leader and that he’s not allowed to be vulnerable and ask for help.”

Morgana stretches as he settles down closer to Goro.

“Not to mention, I also think Akira feels scared to mourn for you. I don’t know how the others feel about you, but I have a feeling that Akira thinks that they would be angry at him or abandon him if they knew that he likes you and is mourning for your ‘death’. And they’d definitely find out eventually if he acted on his feelings like that.”

Goro frowns as he hears Morgana’s theories about Akira’s condition. He wouldn’t be surprised if the others didn’t want anything to do with him and he’s fine with that. They deserve to be angry at him and to not want to see or hear about him. However, hearing that Akira is afraid of his friends abandoning him simply because of his feelings towards him makes his blood boil. 

Akira is a very kind and caring person who was able to make his unfortunate circumstances work out in his favor, in a way. He’s already a much better person than Goro could ever hope to be and deserves all the friends he’s made. Besides, Goro knows too well how it feels to be abandoned. Losing his mother and then being moved around from the orphanage and from foster home to foster home made him feel that he was simply a piece of property that could be given to someone else when it no longer had any use for the previous owner. Akira doesn’t deserve that same kind of treatment, especially from his friends. 

“If the others would abandon Akira simply for a reason like that, then what horrible friends they are.” Goro spits out with intense venom and anger in his tone of voice.

“Hey, easy now Akechi! Look, these are just hypotheses on what I think may be wrong with Akira. I highly doubt the others will abandon Akira over something like that. I mean, they’re all working hard right now to try to get him out of jail! But I can understand why Akira would probably think of something like that. Grief can definitely distort one’s thoughts and feelings.”

Goro perks up at Morgana’s last statement, in particular at one specific word in that sentence. He almost didn’t consider that when it came to figuring out what is up with Akira. Goro prays that that isn’t the case here, but he can’t rule it out as a possibility. He decides to look into that tomorrow after he visits the jail.

“You’re right, my apologies. I’m just…. I’m just worried and tired, I guess. I’m going to get ready for bed.” Goro sighs as he takes the change of clothes and heads to the small bathroom downstairs. He changes and brushes his teeth with the spare toothbrush Sojiro left him, and heads back upstairs. 

Morgana is already settled on the bed when he pulls the covers up and crawls under the sheets and onto the bed. It definitely feels a bit uncomfortable and rough. How Akira was able to sleep in a “bed” like this, Goro does not understand.

“I hope you don’t toss around a lot or kick in your sleep since I also sleep here too.” Morgana states as a small warning. 

Goro rolls his eyes as he settles in the bed and intentionally shoves Morgana aside a little, eliciting a glare from the cat. 

“I could ask the same of you. I am a light sleeper after all.” Goro replies snarkily as he adjusts his position until he is comfortable enough. 

Morgana sighs but eventually falls asleep as Goro attempts to do the same, knowing he’ll need the energy tomorrow. Goro is able to fall asleep faster than usual, and if the slight scent of Akira on Goro’s borrowed pajamas and the sheets is the reason, only he will know. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AAAAAAH thank you for reading this first introductory chapter! I hope this makes y'all excited for more!! Thank you @ emptymorgue for editing this and proofreading this! Also thank you to y'all in my server for helping me come up with ideas for how this story is going to go!
> 
> As always, kudos are highly appreciated and I hope y'all enjoyed reading this!
> 
> you can find me on tumblr and twitter at @ softelesbian and you can find my art tumblr, twitter and instagram at @ softegaby


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is the second chapter! All of y'alls comments gave me so much motivation and serotonin to pump out this second chapter quickly! Hope y'all enjoy!

Goro hasn’t slept this well in… actually he can’t remember, if he’s going to be honest. Morgana barely moved and the hypnotizing scent of Akira lulled him into a tranquil sleep. 

Goro blushes a deep red, thinking about how sentimental he’s feeling as he buries his face in the pillow and screams. He is so glad Morgana isn’t in the attic to witness this embarrassing moment, the damn cat wouldn’t let him forget about it if he were to see Goro like this. 

Goro isn’t sure if he wants to imagine how much more sappy he would be if Akira were here. That boy is certainly something, and Goro hates to admit how much Akira affects him. All he has to do is give his small warm smile and Goro’s heart just stops beating from the sheer force of Akira’s kindness and affection. 

Man, he really is in way too deep, isn’t he?

Goro eventually manages to get up and change into some more of Akira’s clothes to wear until he can buy some of his own. He heads downstairs, the smell of warm, homemade curry wafting from the kitchen. 

Goro’s stomach decides to announce his hunger as he reaches for the handle of the bathroom door so he can quickly wash up. Morgana snickers from his spot on the stool as Goro gives a warning glare to the cat, daring him to laugh at him again. Sojiro shakes his head at their antics as he begins serving the food onto a plate. 

“Morning kid. Your breakfast is just about ready, so be quick or your food will get cold.”

Goro nods as he wipes the glare off of his face and bashfully bows to Sojiro. 

“Good morning Sakura-san. I will be quick!” Goro replies as he shuts the door. 

Sojiro sighs as he sits down to work on his crossword puzzle, having already had breakfast at his place. He looks at Morgana as the cat starts stretching, pretending to be ignorant of why Goro was scowling at him. 

“Listen cat, be easy on Goro. The kid’s going through a rough time and the last thing he needs is constant teasing from you.” Sojiro warns as Morgana musters his best innocent face, making his eyes appear bigger and sadder. 

“Don’t give me that. I know you can understand me.” Sojiro huffs out, knowing from what Akira has told him that Morgana can be what the others call, ‘a little piece of shit.’ 

As adorable as Morgana appears, Sojiro isn’t too surprised about learning that Morgana acts like that sometimes. Little does he know that Morgana isn’t like that ‘sometimes’ but more like ‘most of the time,’ and Morgana has no plans of stopping anytime soon. Everyone, including Goro, will be subject to him being as annoying as possible and frequent teasing, although Morgana has learned to not go overboard. 

However, before Sojiro can get another word out, the bathroom door opens and Goro makes his way to his usual spot, a warm plate of Leblanc curry waiting there for him. 

While normally, Goro isn’t a big fan of curry, he will happily eat the curry from Leblanc. The curry they make has a rich, stew like flavor that helps bring out the savoriness of the meat and the various vegetables that accompany it. Perhaps more importantly, both Sojiro and Akira know that he doesn’t like spicy foods at all (horrid memories of the Russian Roulette takoyaki came to mind), so he knows they’d never make it too hot for him. The meal makes Goro feel warm and loved, and he finds himself craving more homemade meals, since he’d lived off of frozen meals for the past 2 years. Oh, the woes of not being able to cook. 

Goro settles down on his stool as his mouth starts to water from the rich aroma of the curry. Sojiro chuckles, happy to see that his curry has this effect on the former detective. 

“Eat up. I remember you not liking spicy foods so this one is mild. Enjoy.”

“Ah! T-thank you Sakura-san!” Goro exclaims sheepishly as he begins to dig into his breakfast.

Goro practically inhales the delicious curry, though he does his best to savor it. He unconsciously hums in delight and Sojiro gives a small smile, happy that Goro is enjoying (and actually eating) a decent breakfast for once. He remembers Akira ranting about Goro’s bad eating habits. There were mornings that Goro didn’t eat breakfast at all, except for instant coffee and, once in a blue moon, an apple. Then of course there was his reliance on frozen meals and, well, Sojiro was determined to make sure that, at least while Goro stayed in Leblanc, he  _ would  _ eat more healthily. 

As Goro finishes his breakfast, Sojiro motions for Goro to put his dirty dishes in the sink. When he sees Goro is about to help clean his dishes, Sojiro lays a hand on top of them and shakes his head. 

“I’ll do this for you this one time. Go brush your teeth so we can leave for the jail. Although, I will expect you to clean your own dishes and the dishes the customers use when the cafe is open. Is that clear?”

“Yes! Of course Sakura-san! Thank you very much!” Goro exclaims as he bows. 

“Also, cut it with the ‘Sakura-san.’ Just call me Boss.” Sojiro states with a gruff smile.

Goro nods as he then heads to the bathroom once again. 

Sojiro gets up from his stool as he starts putting on his coat and hat. He grabs the bag he’s been using to take Morgana with him to the jail. He’s lucky he was able to convince the staff to let him bring Morgana to visit Akira, citing Morgana as an emotional support animal. In a way, he isn’t completely lying about that. Morgana does help calm Akira when he isn’t feeling well and Akira’s eyes brighten just slightly whenever Sojiro brings Morgana with him. Although after hearing how sarcastic and bitchy Morgana can be from Akira and his friends, especially Ryuji, Sojiro thinks that maybe Morgana wouldn’t be the best emotional support animal for most people. 

Just as Morgana hops into the bag and begins to settle himself inside it, Goro comes out of the bathroom and he notices that Sojiro and Morgana are ready to head out. He quickly walks over to the coat rack near the stairs and grabs his coat and scarf. He reaches into his coat pockets for his gloves and only finds just one in one of the pockets. 

That’s right. Akira has the other one. 

He stares at his singular glove and slightly squeezes it, hoping that Akira still has the other half of the pair and that he remembers the promise they made. He is glad that someone like Akira has his other half, it makes him feel warm as his heart buzzes with happiness and fondness. 

Wow, since when did a glove make him feel so sappy? 

Before Goro can experience any more warm, gushy feelings and make a fool out of himself in front of Sojiro and Morgana, he grabs his shoes. He nods to Sojiro and they head out of Leblanc. Thankfully the walk to Sojiro’s house is short and they hop into his car as they make their way to the jail. 

Goro is really nervous throughout the whole car ride, the butterflies in his stomach swirling around madly and violently, threatening to burst out. He didn’t realize how desperately he wanted to see Akira until at this very moment, but he still isn’t sure if he is ready to physically show himself in front of Akira. 

How would Akira react? He isn’t allowed to step outside the confinement area where he can talk to visitors. Would he be happy? Would he cry? As he starts to think about it, Goro thinks it wouldn’t be fair to show himself in front of Akira, only for Akira to not be able to greet him properly. Knowing how touchy Akira is from the time he spent with him, and having heard how Akira might not have been properly grieving for his “death,” he might not react as well as Goro hopes. At least if he were still in the cafe, Akira could physically touch him. 

Goro doesn’t realize how deep in his thoughts he is until Sojiro clears his throat. Goro jumps a bit and looks out the window to see that they have arrived at their destination. He didn’t even realize the car had stopped moving. 

As he’s noted before, he truly is out of it.

Sojiro gives him a worried look, but Goro hides it with one of his plastic smiles. Damn it, he didn’t mean to resort to old habits, but it is hard to unlearn them.

“Don’t try and fool me kid. You’re nervous. Something’s bothering you, am I right?”

Goro lets the fake smile fall as he slouches back and sighs nervously. 

“I’m sorry Sa- I mean, Boss. Well, I was thinking. Is it fine if I simply observe your visit from afar? It’s just… I’m sure Akira isn’t allowed to leave the visiting area and I… I’m not sure how he would react upon seeing me if he can’t actually touch me. I know I said I wanted to let him know I was alive, but if he is still trying to mourn for me, I don’t think him seeing me when he is still confined is the best idea. I hope you understand, Boss.” 

Sojiro gives Goro a soft smile as he nods in agreement. It warms his heart to see Goro slowly come out and be open with his feelings. This poor boy has spent his teenage years putting up walls and wearing different masks. He couldn’t begin to imagine just how pent up he must have been and can see why he eventually broke. Sojiro worries that a similar thing may be happening with Akira and it hurts him to see these kids like this. 

“Of course, I understand, kid. I’ll ask one of the staff to let you see Akira from a different room or through a camera or something. To be honest, I was thinking the same thing too. I know how badly you want to see him and let him know that you are alive, but yeah, with him possibly going through something, you just appearing out of the blue may be too much right now. If you wait until Akira gets out, you can reunite properly.” 

Goro nods in relief and lets out a breath he didn’t know he was holding in. 

“Also, I think you might want to use that hoodie you are wearing underneath your coat to hide your face. I know Shido had control over the police for a while, and I just want you to be safe here in case anyone recognizes you.” Sojiro warns. 

Goro blinks in surprise as he mutely puts the hood over his head. He honestly didn’t think about the chance that the police would recognize him. He isn’t sure the police would really go after him, but better safe than sorry. 

They all get out of the car and make their way inside the facility. 

Goro sticks close to Sojiro, afraid of being recognized. Thankfully, either the police are too busy to pay attention or don’t recognize Goro, which is a relief to the ex Detective Prince. Goro hears Sojiro talking to the staff, asking if his “nephew, Takashi” can view Akira from a different room or through a camera, stating he’s very shy. Goro smirks and rolls his eyes at his fake name, but follows one of the staff when they ask him to follow them. 

They enter a room and Goro sees it’s a one way mirror. He’ll be able to see Akira, but thankfully, Akira won’t be able to see him. He hates that he’ll have police staff in the room as well, but what else can he do. Looks like he’ll have to use his acting skills and just hope nobody suspects him. 

Meanwhile, Sojiro asks one of the staff that he knows has been watching over Akira about his well being.

“Well, he’s been behaving, does what he’s told. Overall, has been on good behavior. However, one employee noticed that he’s been acting strange…”

Sojiro perks his head up and his eyes widen in surprise and a small hint of worry, only visible to Goro and Morgana. Both of them perk up when they hear the staff member’s last statement.

“What do you mean, “strange?” Sojiro asks incredulously. 

“Well, uhh… He saw him hunched up and curled into a ball, which wasn’t too off, but then he said he got closer and heard him repeat a name - “Goro”. That employee said he listened in for a while and the kid just sat there and repeated it multiple times and seemed to be rocking back and forth. We’ve been paying closer attention since that, and a couple people heard him cry out in his sleep and saw him clutch his head as if he were in pain. Honestly, he did a good job of hiding this from us. As I stated, we only noticed because one of the staff members happened to walk by and witness something when Kurusu thought no one else was around.”

Sojiro tilts his head slightly down, his brows scrunched up in worry. He knew it. Akira isn’t doing as well as he wants him to believe. But to actually hear how much Akira is suffering from the staff themselves makes it even more painful. Morgana lets out a sad whimper as he paws at the ground, extremely worried about Akira’s well being.

Meanwhile, from across the room, Goro stares with eyes wide in shock and pain. He is glad his face is partially obscured by the hoodie as he clenches his teeth and inhales a sharp breath. 

In a way, he is responsible for Akira’s misery. He’s not surprised. All he’s ever brought to others was pain and misery, why should things be any different this time? But no, he reminds himself, this case  _ is _ different. This is about the well being of Akira, his extremely unsubtle crush. The thought of him being what is causing Akira all of this pain makes him ache in pain too. 

He clenches his hands until there are crescent shaped marks on his palms. Goro lifts his head back up. He can’t let his self deprecating thoughts plague him right now. He has to be strong and help Akira. He wouldn’t ever forgive himself if he failed Akira again, although it’s not like he has forgiven himself for his past actions either.

Before Goro can think of anything else, the door from the other side of the visiting area he is viewing opens and Akira walks in. Goro holds his breath as he finally lays eyes on Akira for the first time since they brought down Maruki’s reality. 

Akira… has seen better days. While at first glance, he appears to be fine, smiling and happy to see Sojiro and Morgana, Goro can see that Akira’s whole body is screaming out that he is anything but fine. He has heavy bags under his eyes and is slightly slouched. His movements are also slow and lethargic, implying that Akira has almost no energy. And what hurts Goro most of all is that Akira’s eyes are as dull as an overcast day. There is no energy, spark, or liveliness in his eyes. 

While Goro will never admit it to anyone other than himself, he loves the spunk and energy that is usually swirling around in Akira’s eyes, whether he’s listening to Goro talk about something he’s passionate about, or when Akira teases him that his eyes betray his mischievousness and cockiness. 

It’s one of Akira’s traits that makes Goro’s traitorous heart skip a beat every single damn time. 

Goro pulls himself out of his raging sentimental thoughts as he looks in and listens to their conversation, Sojiro and Morgana greeting Akira first. 

“Hey Akira, sorry it’s been awhile since the last time I’ve visited. How have you been?”

“Hey Sojiro, it’s been fine. Just going at it one day at a time, I guess.” Akira chuckles, but there is no genuine mirth, it is an empty laugh.

Morgana jumps out of the bag as he walks in front of the glass window separating him and Akira, rubbing against the glass. 

“Hey Akira. Nice to see you again,” Morgana states as he purrs softly. 

“Heh, it’s nice to see you too Mona,” Akira states with a slight upturn of his mouth as he puts his hand against the glass where Morgana’s body is. How Morgana wishes the glass weren’t there so Akira could pet him. Even if it wouldn’t solve the current dilemma, it would at least help calm Akira down a bit. 

“Hey, are you doing alright Akira? You’re looking a little rough there…” Sojiro asks, taking that first step into trying to get Akira to open up. However, he should have known Akira would try to play it down even as he is barely giving out an exhausted smile. 

“Yeah I’m fine Sojiro, just a bit tired is all.” Akira states as nonchalantly as he can, but he isn’t fooling Sojiro and Morgana, nor Goro, who is still observing him from afar. 

“Are you really ok Akira? No offense, but you look like absolute shit.” Morgana states, trying to go the more direct route. Akira waves it all off with another empty laugh. 

“Yeah I’m fine Mona, seriously. You don’t have to worry about me.” Sojiro tries and fails to repress a sigh at hearing Akira try to once again convince him that he is perfectly fine. He doesn’t want to push too far though, afraid that Akira will close up even more. 

“Alright kiddo, but just remember that if you need to talk or tell me anything, I’m always here to lend you an ear.”

Thanks Sojiro,” Akira states with a weary smile, which makes Sojiro smile in return. 

“Yeah, you can always talk to me too if you need to get something off of your chest,” Morgana adds, “It’s ok to grieve, you know. I know you miss Goro a lot and I know he is very important to you, but you don’t have to hide it from us. Please just let us help you, Akira.”

Akira’s fake smile wipes straight off of his face as his eyes widen in absolute shock and fear. His face pales and Akira looks like he’s just seen a ghost. He grips the sides of the chair he’s sitting on so hard, his knuckles turn pure white. Akira looks like a deer caught in the headlights and he slowly gets up from the chair, his body slightly shaking with fear. 

“I...I h-have to go! I just remembered I n-needed to do something!” Akira exclaims as he runs out of the visiting room.

“Wait! Akira!” Sojiro shouts, but it’s too late. Akira is long gone. 

Meanwhile from across the room, Goro stares in absolute shock as he tries to process what happened just now. He is going to kill that cat for opening his big fat mouth. 

However, Goro has to admit that Morgana’s strategy did reveal that the source of Akira’s misery is tied back to him, specifically on Akira not mourning his “death.” If he didn’t think his worry and stress levels could go any higher, then he sure is surprising himself today. He tunes out Sojiro’s scolding of Morgana as his brain begins to spin with possible ideas as to what exactly could be wrong with Akira. 

Suddenly, Goro is reminded of what he had planned to look into today after Morgana had stated something very peculiar last night. 

_ “ _ _ Grief can definitely distort one’s thoughts and feelings.” _

Distort… Goro truly didn’t want to think about the possibility, but it seems he has no other choice, based on what just transpired earlier. He bows to the staff member in the room, thanking him as he then heads out of the room and makes his way to the outside back area of the facility. 

His hands are shaking as he pulls out his cell phone, scrolling to that damn app that just doesn’t seem to disappear from his phone.

The Nav.

He doesn’t know why he still has it on his phone or why the damn Metaverse is still around. Although, logically speaking, it makes sense that people would still have distorted desires and hearts, as that can’t be helped. So that would probably explain why the Metaverse still exists, but it doesn’t satiate Goro’s panicking mind at the moment. He tries to steady his voice as he opens up the app and holds the phone close to his mouth, speaking the name that’s most dearest to him. 

“Akira Kurusu at the Juvenile Jail Facility.”

“CANDIDATE FOUND”

Goro punches the wall behind him as he begins to violently shake in pain and in anger directed towards himself. 

It’s all his fault, much like everything is. Anyone he attempts to get close to always ends up getting hurt. Akira has a distorted heart filled with so much pain that it has formed a palace because of him.  _ HE’S  _ the cause of all this. He suddenly feels his eyes start to water and he growls as he manages to contain his tears. He won’t cry. He can’t break down now. He needs to be strong. He- 

Goro doesn’t realize how long he’s been outside until he hears the metal door behind him open and he jumps violently, ready to yell at the person to leave until he sees Sojiro, along with Morgana in the bag. Sojiro has an extremely worried look on his face, as does Morgana. 

Great. He just has to worry and hurt everyone around him, doesn’t he? 

Sojiro cautiously walks over to Goro, laying a gentle hand on his shoulder. Goro flinches a bit out of habit, but slowly starts to relax, if only slightly.

“Kid! What’s wrong? One of the staff saw you run out here.”

Goro doesn’t even know how to explain just what happened. He knows that Sojiro knows about the existence of the Metaverse and Palaces, courtesy of Akira. However, he also knows that Sojiro doesn’t know about the full inner workings of the Metaverse, simply knowing that it’s a dangerous place. However, Sojiro deserves to know what is going on with Akira, and Morgana can help explain any tidbits he knows about the Metaverse. 

“I uh… It’s a lot to explain. C-can I explain back at the cafe? I’m sorry about my abrupt reaction.”

Sojiiro sighs as his face softens, and he uses his thumb still on Goro’s shoulder to gently rub small circles on it.    
  


“Of course kid, and don’t apologize. You need some time to figure out what to say, I assume. Come, let’s get back to the car. The ride should help you manage your thoughts somewhat.” Sojiro states as he heads back towards the door, Morgana sending Goro a worried look from the bag. 

Goro sighs shakily but nods as he follows Sojiro back to the car. He tries to use the car ride to sort out his rampant thoughts as Sojiro suggested, but to no avail. He simply doesn’t know how to explain his latest discovery to Sojiro and Morgana in a way that won’t be completely alarming. 

He supposes that the cold, hard truth must be the only option. 

He does want to tell them the truth, they deserve to know, but unfortunately old habits aren’t that easy to get rid of. Goro can’t help but to try to twist something so harsh into something more gentle, even if it means twisting the facts and lying a bit. He still has a lot to work on.

They finally arrive at Yogen-Jaya and Sojiro parks his car outside his house and then heads over to Leblanc, Goro following behind him. The walk is short and before Goro knows it, he’s seated at one of the booths, with Sojiro and Morgana seated across from him. He wrings his hands tightly before letting out a tired sigh. 

“So… I’m sure you are aware of the Metaverse, correct? That place that’s formed from the collective unconsciousness of all people and where distorted desires of the masses collect to form Mementos?” 

Sojiro nods slowly, a slow feeling of dread settling in his stomach at hearing about the Metaverse. He may not know too much about the specifics about the Metaverse, but he knows enough to know what can happen to some people, like with Futaba. He’s praying that this isn't the case with Akira, but he feels like he already knows the answer. He looks over to the side to see Morgana with a face radiating pure fear at hearing the word “Metaverse.”

“Well… I still have the app allowing me to go to the Metaverse on my phone for whatever reason. So I checked the app earlier today after seeing Akira’s extreme reaction towards my name being mentioned and… He has a palace.”

Sojiro’s eyes widen in shock and pain and Morgana inhales a sharp breath as pure devastation appears on his face. Sojiro figured something like this had happened after Goro asked him about the Metaverse. Sorrow etches upon his already worn face at not being able to help someone who he essentially views as a son. Why couldn’t he help Akira? Is he that much of a failure as a guardian? Will he be unable to help him just as he couldn’t help Futaba?

Meanwhile, Morgana curls inwards, trying to process this new onslaught of information. How? How could Akira Kurusu, fearless, selfless leader of the Phantom Thieves, have a Palace? He has a persona, tons of them actually! How could he have both a Palace and a persona? Morgana stops his train of thought as he suddenly remembers the case with Maruki. He still has trouble believing that a persona user can have a Palace. Morgana tries to wrack his brain as to where he could have gone so wrong that Akira had developed a Palace. Was he not a good enough friend and support for Akira? Did something happen to Akira that Morgana didn’t notice? 

He then remembers about the conversation he had with Goro last night, where he hypothesized that Akira was feeling down because of him not mourning for Goro. Did Akira think he would be mad at him for mourning for Goro? 

Morgana metaphorically hits himself on the head. He wasn’t very shy about expressing his opinions on Goro back when he was on their team helping them in Sae’s Palace. He remembers expressing his more than disdainful opinions on Goro and Akira either telling him that he believed in Goro or snapping at him that he already knew Morgana’s feelings on Goro. Morgana drowns in regret at this sudden realization. 

No wonder Akira would be afraid to mourn for Goro and end up forming a Palace…

“But… how? How could he have a Palace? From what I understand, they form if the heart is distorted, right?” Sojiro asks worriedly. 

Goro solemnly nods his head. 

“Yes, they form when the person’s heart becomes distorted due to twisted desires or thoughts. As to what is causing Akira’s heart to become distorted, I am not sure what it is yet. However… I wouldn’t be surprised if it had something to do with me… You saw it at the prison. He reacted very negatively when Morgana talked about me, in case you were wondering what was said that caused such a reaction in Akira.” Goro mentions with guilt all over his face.

“Goro Akechi.” Sojiro states sternly, which makes Goro sit up in attention. “Do not blame yourself for this. You aren’t at fault here, no one is. While it is true he is currently suffering from not mourning you, it’s possible that his heart became distorted through other means. I’ve seen how selfless Akira is, always putting others before him. While it’s great how kind Akira is in that manner, only helping others and not yourself is not healthy at all, and I’m not surprised if Akira’s succumbed to something.” 

Goro nods as he considers Sojiro’s words. It’s true, Akira practically has a martyr complex. That damn boy only cares about the well beings of others while fully neglecting his own. Goro sighs, he needs to have a talk to Akira about that when all of this is solved and Akira is free from jail. 

“So Goro, Morgana, I know this is a lot to ask, but please. Will you save Akira from his distorted heart? I can’t bear to see Akira suffer like this.” Sojiro pleads. 

Goro and Morgana look at each other, a newfound sense of determination in their eyes, as they nod at each other and then at Sojiro. 

“Absolutely, you don’t need to ask twice!” Morgana says while Sojiro looks at Goro for a translation. 

“He says of course we will.” Goro smirks while rolling his eyes, too lazy to give the full translation. 

Sojiro gives a warm and appreciative smile as he gets up from the booth. 

“Thank you, both of you. You don’t know how much I appreciate it… Oh, before I forget. I’m going to call Akira’s parents. I hate to worry them, but their son is not doing well and if he won’t talk to us, he might talk to his fathers. I’ve seen how open and loving Akira is with them. Hopefully they can come down and give Akira a visit.” Sojiro states as he heads over to the yellow rotary phone at the edge of the counter, dialing in the numbers. 

“Of course. Even if his parents don’t know anything about the Metaverse or personas, maybe some fatherly love will help Akira while we focus on his Palace.” Goro states optimistically, a strange surprise for the ex detective. “Morgana and I are going to head upstairs and get ready for bed. Have a good night, Boss.” 

Sojiro nods in understanding as he then begins to talk on the phone. Goro grabs Morgana, eliciting an angry yelp from the cat as he heads to the attic upstairs. He lightly tosses Morgana on the bed, making Morgana yelp again, even louder.    
  


“Ow! Be a little more gentle next time, will you?!” 

“You’re welcome, you overdramatic cat.” Goro says sarcastically as he rolls his eyes. “I could have been more rough in putting you down, you know.” 

Morgana glares as he settles down on the bed. Goro grabs the borrowed pajamas as he begins to change, too tired to care that Morgana is there. Suddenly a thought crosses his mind.

“Oh, I was wondering, shouldn’t we tell the others about Akira? I assume they would want to help if they found out their leader has a Palace.” 

Morgana perks up at Goro’s question, as he stretches his lithe cat body. 

“Well no shit, Detective Prince, of course we’re gonna tell them! This isn’t a two man mission, you know. We don’t even know what Akira’s Palace looks like yet, we’re gonna need all the help we can get.” 

Goro rolls his eyes as he finishes putting on Akira’s pajama shirt and then sits on the bed. 

“Yes, I don’t have what Akira’s distortion is yet, so I was thinking of calling the others and having a meeting to announce Akira’s Palace and then try to come up with Akira’s distortion and maybe scope out the Palace if we can guess it.”

“Good plan, although maybe leave the calling to me. No offense Akechi, but as I stated before, I don’t know how the others feel about you, so they may suspect something if you are the one calling them. Just put me on speakerphone tomorrow and I’ll make the announcement about the meeting.” Morgana states proudly.

“Yeah yeah I get it. Fine, I’ll let you make the call. We’ll call them around mid afternoon tomorrow. I’m supposed to be helping out Boss in the morning, and then I need to get some pairs of clothes. I can’t keep wearing Akira’s clothes.” 

“Well technically you can. I can see how much you actually love wearing his clothes…” Morgana snickers. 

Goro blushes a bright red as he angrily grabs the pillow and launches it at Morgana, making the cat scream in surprise. Goro gives a devilish smirk as he heads downstairs to the bathroom to wash up before going to sleep. 

He heads back upstairs and grumbles as he realizes how right Morgana is. He does love wearing Akira’s clothes. His scent is still slightly on it and just the knowledge of wearing the clothes of the boy he is smitten with helps calm his racing thoughts and actually relaxes him. 

He turns the light out as he lets Akira’s slight scent on his pajamas wash over him and tranquilize him into a calming sleep, letting the stress of tomorrow’s events float away as his mind settles on just one person. 

Akira.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope y'all enjoyed this chapter! Also yeah, Tatsuya and Jun are gonna appear next chapter! 👀 so looking forward to them finally appearing! Again thanks to @ emptymorgue for editing/proofreading!
> 
> As always, kudos are highly appreciated!
> 
> you can find me on tumblr and twitter at @ softelesbian and you can find my art tumblr, twitter, and instagram at @ softegaby


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi y'all! Sorry it took awhile but here's chapter 3! I also uploaded the 4th chapter as a treat! (actually I split the 3rd chapter into two since it was almost 10k words and want my chapter lengths to stay as consistent as possible alsdjfkjf)
> 
> Hope y'all enjoy!

Jun and Tatsuya are having some warm tea as the TV drones on in the background. It’s a nice, quiet Thursday evening, almost perfect except for one thing - there’s someone missing. 

Akira Kurusu. 

Even though more than half of the year has passed since Akira had to go to Tokyo, Jun misses him so much it hurts. Tatsuya is more quiet about it, but Jun knows how much it eats at Tatsuya that Akira isn’t here. Tatsuya still harbors a lot of guilt for Akira’s circumstances. The dreaded night where Akira was arrested, and the days spent showing up to court, only for the accuser to never show his face and yet still get Akira placed on probation… it all haunts both of them tremendously.

However, Tatsuya blames himself the most. He curses at himself for no longer being a police officer, having retired to work as a mechanic instead. If he were still in the force, maybe he could have done something. There are nights where Tatsuya suffers through horrible nightmares. Dreams of not being able to help his son, seeing the tv report of the “suicide” of a young high schooler, imagining it to be Akira, and occasionally, dreams of Nyarlathotep taking his family and everything else away, plague his mind.

It hurts Jun when he has to comfort his husband at night, thinking that they could have done something to prevent all of this mess from happening. They just wanted to live a normal happy life, where they could raise their son in peace and not have to deal with anything related to gods and Personas…

Speaking of Personas, Jun can’t help but worry about Akira even more ever since the last time he and Tatsuya visited him. They came over one weekend over the fall, hoping to see their son and spend some time with him, knowing how much he missed them.

As soon as they arrived at Leblanc, they felt a very heavy and strange resonance wash over them. It felt like the resonance a Persona user would have, but also at the same time much, much different. The feeling only intensified when Akira came downstairs from the attic, an excited smile on his face as he came barging towards them, hugging them tightly. Tatsuya and Jun returned the hug with equal force but as soon as Akira went back upstairs to get his coat, Tatsuya gave Jun a worried look.

There’s absolutely no way… Nah. Akira Kurusu, their precious and beloved son, of all people, could not be a Persona user. He simply couldn’t, right? The duo chose to believe the answer was no because of the strange, foreign resonance. They were simply being paranoid. It had been awhile since they had seen Akira, after all. However, if their son really was a Persona user, Jun knew Tatsuya wouldn’t hesitate to hunt down a certain yellow butterfly and beat the ever-loving shit out of it.

Jun is snapped out of his thoughts by the ring of the phone. Strange, they normally didn’t receive calls at night. Tatsuya gets a worried look on his face as he begins to stand up, however, Jun lays his hand on his husband’s shoulder, signalling him to stay put. 

“Don’t worry Tacchi, I’ll get it.”

Jun stands and heads to the phone as he answers it. Sojiro Sakura’s voice is the last voice he’d expected to hear and his worry spikes up in an instant. He and Tatsuya know that Akira is in jail right now, having heard that he’d turned himself in in order to testify against Shido, the man that ruined their lives. Jun tries to quell his worries as he listens to Sakura’s voice. 

“H-hello? Kurusu-san? This is Sakura speaking.”

“A-ah, Sakura-san, good evening. How is it going?”

“Well…” Sojiro coughs on the other end, trying to figure out how to explain the situation to Akira’s parents. “I wish I could say it’s fine, but I’m afraid that’s not the case, which is why I’m calling.”

Jun’s breath hitches.

“It… it’s about Akira. I’m afraid that… he isn’t doing very well. I went earlier today to see him, but… something is going on with him. He seems very tired and sad… I honestly don’t know what exactly is going on, as he refuses to tell me. You know I wouldn’t call if it was something minor. It’s - I want to help, but have had no luck. Whenever you are able, could you come over to visit Akira? I think he could use some support and comfort from his parents right now.” Sojiro states, leaving out any mention of the Metaverse. He hates leaving that part out when he speaks to Akira’s parents, but they aren’t Persona users. They simply wouldn’t understand or believe him, and Sojiro can’t blame them.

Meanwhile, it takes all of Jun’s willpower not to drop the phone on the kitchen floor. His hands are shaking tremendously as Tatsuya rushes over to where Jun is. He takes Jun’s free hand and begins rubbing it in circles, hoping to help calm him down. However, Tatsuya is just as worried as Jun is, and barely keeps his own anxiety from spilling out. Jun takes a deep, shaky breath as he tries to level his voice so as to not worry Sakura.

“A-ah of c-course! Tatsuya and I were p-planning to visit him soon either way. Thank you for letting us know about Akira, and we will try to arrive later tomorrow. H-have a good night Sakura-san!” Jun nervously exclaims as he shuts the phone off, not even allowing Sojiro to say goodnight. As soon as he hangs up the call, Jun chokes on a sob, tears welling up in his eyes and falling down on his cheeks. Tatsuya envelops Jun in a warm hug as his husband buries his face in Tatsuya’s shoulder. 

“Jun! What happened?! What’s wrong?!” Tatsuya exclaims worriedly as Jun muffles his sobs. 

“I-it’s Akira. Something is w-wrong with him! From what Sakura-san said, it sounds like he’s d-depressed, but I’m not sure since Akira refuses to tell him a-anything. Oh Tacchi, what if something’s happened to him?!” 

“Shhh, there there, Jun,” Tatsuya says softly as he rubs his fingers on Jun’s back, hoping to calm him and himself down. “Let’s try not to assume the worst. We don’t know what is going on with him, as you stated. Let’s.... Let’s go to sleep. We’ll leave early tomorrow morning so we are in Tokyo by afternoon. I’ll call Sevens and say there’s been a family emergency, and the mechanic shop will understand.” Tatsuya states with as much conviction as he can muster. He needs to be there for Jun. He can’t break down. He needs to be strong for his family.

Jun nods as he shakily sighs and wipes his stained cheeks against his sleeve. Jun gives a watery smile towards Tatsuya as he grabs his hand and leads them to their bedroom. While Tatsuya may seem like he has the situation under control, Jun knows that that is far from the truth. He can see his husband trying to hold it together as they settle into bed. He won’t be surprised if his husband is plagued with nightmares later tonight, but Jun will be there for him.

* * *

Morgana’s words swirl around Akira as he clutches his head. He’d put on his best smile. He can’t worry Sojiro and Morgana over something as trivial as his feelings. 

Akira chokes on a sob.

“You are a weakling, a disgrace!” 

“You couldn’t even save one person! Some leader you are!”

“Goro is dead because of you! Even your parents are disappointed in how much of a failure you are!” 

“S-stop! P-please! I’m s-sorry dad, papa. I’m sorry Goro, I’m so sorry…” Akira chokes out.

He knows he is a failure, but the voices confirm it. He couldn’t save the boy he loved, and now he’s breaking down. How pathetic. He is nothing but a disappointment. 

His parents... They probably wanted a normal, happy life and they got him instead. 

He is shaking as he reaches for Goro’s glove, but it’s in his attic. He would be so disappointed if he saw the brave leader of the Phantom Thieves like this. But Goro isn’t here anymore.

Akira cries himself to sleep.

* * *

Goro’s day has been pretty productive, and he’s glad he has something to do to keep his mind busy, or he’s sure he would go insane. 

Goro spent his morning helping serve drinks at the cafe and cleaning dishes. As much as Goro wants to learn how to make Leblanc coffee, he understands it’s hard to do and he needs to wait until Sojiro feels he’s ready to learn. After the morning “crowd” is gone, Sojiro sets Goro free for the rest of the day. 

Goro decides to use this opportunity to do some clothes shopping before the whole-group meeting later this afternoon. As much as Goro doesn’t want to admit it, he is really nervous. The others most likely don’t know he’s alive, and it’s not like he left on the best of terms with all of them. Besides Sumire, Ann is probably the only one he got close to besides Akira. They would, on rare occasions, get crepes or chat about mundane things. Goro ended up enjoying the time he spent with Ann back in Maruki’s reality, even though he was more grumpy back then. 

However, he doesn’t know how she or the others will react upon seeing him step into the cafe like nothing happened. He just hopes he can convince them to help him and Morgana infiltrate Akira’s Palace and heal his distorted heart.

Goro tries to push those thoughts behind him as he enters a clothing store he likes and begins to pick out some clothes. Secretly, deep down in his heart, Goro is a bit sad to be getting his own clothes. Akira has a nice, sharp fashion sense, and more importantly, he loves the feeling of Akira’s clothes hugging his body, especially when he sleeps. And when absolutely no one else is looking, Goro indulges in the small bits of Akira’s scent that remained on the clothes. A small tint of pink dusts Goro’s cheeks as he finishes his shopping and heads out of the store. 

Goro clutches his bags tightly as he makes his way onto the train back to Yongen-Jaya. He isn’t expecting any of them to welcome him, let alone forgive him. His brain already reminds him constantly of how little he deserves any of the kindness they’ve ever shown him and that no matter what he does, he’ll never deserve any forgiveness. He is just hoping that they will at least listen to him and help with taking down Akira’s Palace. 

As the train arrives at his destination, he takes his phone out to view the time. 3:00pm. He’s just in time for the meeting. He quickly exits the station and heads over to the cafe, knowing at least Morgana is expecting him. He approaches the door and hears voices inside already. Goro leans towards the door to hear what’s happening.

“So why did you call us Mona? Is something the matter?” Ann asks.

“Yeah, we’ve been waiting for you to say something, but you ain’t said nothing yet.” Ryuji states confusingly. 

“That’s because we’re missing someone! We can’t start until everyone is here!” Morgana insists. 

“So who is this person if I may ask? Everyone, besides Akira of course, is present.” Yusuke says. 

Goro decides to use this make it or break it moment to enter the cafe, the bells ringing to announce his presence. If this isn’t giving Goro extreme deja vu, then he doesn’t know what could. 

“Ah there he is! I was afraid you would be late.” Morgana says, as though it were every day a supposedly dead man showed up for a very important meeting. Goro keeps his eyes focused on the floor as everyone turns around to see who this “missing” person is. 

The only thing Goro hears are surprised gasps. He doesn’t know if he can bring himself to lift his head up. He’s glad he’s holding bags as they hide his shaking hands. What kinds of emotions will be on their faces? But still, Goro slightly raises his head - he does have to see their faces at some point during this meeting. 

“You!!” Ryuji exclaims, anger etched on his face. It doesn’t scare him as much as when Sojiro was angry at him for appearing at the cafe. 

Goro dares a peek at the other members’ reactions. Ann has her hands clasped over her mouth, tears welling up in her eyes. Yusuke and Makoto look at him with suspicion. Futaba and Haru are facing away silently, sadness and conflict visible on their faces. Sumire is tearing up, but nevertheless appears... relieved and happy? He’s not sure what’s up with that. Morgana hops onto the counter from the stool as he approaches Goro. 

“Surprise! He’s been staying here and helping Chief out as repayment for staying here. He’s trying hard to atone for what he’s done, but that’s not important right now. There’s something he needs to tell you all.”

“Why should we believe anything he says?! He could be tricking us again, ya know!” Ryuji exclaims.

“I hate to say this, but I agree with Ryuji,” Makoto adds. 

“Indeed, how can we trust that he won’t backstab us again?” Yusuke asks.

“I… I honestly don’t know how to feel about this…” Haru states as Futaba meekily nods in agreement. 

“Guys!” Ann yells, “Let’s at least listen to what he has to say! He wouldn’t have asked us all to come here if it wasn’t important!”

“Yes,” Sumire states confidently, “I may not have known Akechi-san as long as you all have, but he did help us take down Maruki. I think we should at least listen to him, we owe him that.” 

Everyone else quiets down as Goro tries to prepare the words that will come out of his mouth. Even just thinking about what he has to say makes him feel dizzy and nauseous with pain. But they need to know.

“T-thank you all for coming. I hate to say that I bring unfortunate news. Boss, Mona and I went yesterday to visit Akira and... I found something out.” Goro takes a deep shaky breath as he prepares the punch of the statement.

“Akira has a Palace.”

The cafe reverberates with loud, shocked gasps that soon turn to disbelief. He is pinned by a distrustful glare from Ryuji and some milder ones from Yusuke and Makoto. 

“I… I don’t believe that! I mean… how do we know you ain’t lyin to us?!”

“I find it very hard to believe that our leader would develop a Palace…”

“I agree with Makoto. It simply isn’t like him.”

The cafe reverberates with exclamations from two sides, one that doesn’t believe him and another that does.

He cannot believe them. He understands the group’s wariness, but their leader, no, their _friend_ is suffering, and all they can think of is whether or not Goro is lying. Is Akira not important to them? Why are they focusing on the wrong thing? It is true that the others most likely don’t know about Goro’s true feelings towards Akira, but why would Goro lie about Akira having a Palace? He’d like to think he isn’t so cruel that he would lie to them about something as dire as this.

Goro is shaking in anger as the arguments continue all around him. Before he can come up with a more rational course of action, all of his pent up emotions come bursting out like a dam has broken.

“ **All of you - would you just shut the fuck up?!!** ” 

The cafe grows so silent, one could hear a pin drop.

“ **How can you all be so caught up in me that you ignore Akira’s suffering?! Yes, I did fuck up. I fucked up so badly that you all have the right to hate me and not trust me. I get that! But I am trying to help! I called you all here, knowing the risk that I would be yelled at and not be taken seriously when I told you about Akira’s Palace! But NO! Your first concern is whether I am lying, rather than about Akira’s wellbeing! Is he not important to you?! You all only care for him when he is able to help you, huh? Is that it?! Have none of you considered Akira’s feelings, his needs? The person I love is suffering right now, I need your help in order to save him and you just… I-** ”

Goro completely breaks down as loud ugly sobs wreck his whole body as he falls to his knees. Damn it! Why is he so weak? Why did he allow the others’ reactions to get to him like this? He knew something like this would happen, hell, he prepared himself mentally for this exact outcome. So why was he breaking down like a weakling in front of the people he’s hurt and betrayed? Simply because they don’t believe him? How pathetic. 

He supposes that’s what happens when you stifle your feelings about your crush for too long. 

Before Goro’s self-deprecating thoughts can tear at his mind even more, he feels someone hug him from the side,causing him to flinch. He opens his teary eyes to see a blurry Sumire hugging him firmly but gently as she rubs his arm. He then feels another presence, Ann, judging by the pigtails, hugging his other side. Before he knows it, all of the members have gathered around him in an awkward group hug, trying to settle themselves comfortably. 

Goro’s first thoughts are of fear and humiliation. Why are they all around him? They were angry and distrustful of him just a moment ago. Are they pitying him? He involuntarily lets out a hiccup as his body shakes both in fear and from crying earlier.

“It’s okay, Akechi-san,” Sumire comforts. “You don’t have to go through this alone. We’ve got your back.”

She then signals to the others and they step back to give Goro some space. Goro grabs a nearby tissue box and wipes his eyes and nose. Sumire then turns around towards the others, a stern, disappointed look on her face.

“We should be ashamed of ourselves! We told Akechi-san we would listen to him, and all we did was doubt him! He’s right, we _should_ be more concerned about Akira! He’s done so much for all of us! If he’s suffering right now, we obviously have to help him! We are his friends, after all.”

The other members look down towards the ground in shame as Morgana hops over to Goro, nuzzling him slightly. 

“Sumire’s right! We need to help Goro infiltrate Akira’s Palace. Goro helped us take down Maruki, so we should at least return the favor! I’m not saying for you all to suddenly forgive him and be friends, but honestly, do you think I’d call you here if he were lying? If you need proof, then just look at Goro’s phone!” 

At Morgana’s last statement, Goro takes his phone out and pulls up the Nav, eliciting surprised gasps and concerns over why the Nav app has returned. He goes through the search history until Akira’s name pops up. Everyone falls silent as they finally see concrete proof that Akira does have a Palace. 

“Before you ask, no, I don’t know how or why the Nav is back on my phone. It was there when I left the hospital. When Morgana, Boss, and I went to the detention center yesterday, Akira wasn’t acting like himself. He was trying too hard to please Boss and Morgana. I observed him from afar and he has no energy and no spark in his eyes. I had my suspicions, so afterwards I checked on the Nav, and unfortunately my suspicions were correct.” 

Goro lowers his head gloomily as the others take the time to process this new information. The group all nod in unison as they look towards Morgana and Goro.

“Akira has done so much for all of us,” Ann states, “He’s always putting himself out there for others. We _will_ return the favor. Don’t worry Goro, we’ve got your back too. We’ll all help Akira.”

“Yes,” Haru agrees, “It is our duty as Akira’s friends to help him out when he needs it! While Futaba and I are still a bit wary of you, we can sympathize and will certainly help you save Akira.”

“Yeah, so don’t worry Akechi!” Futaba says triumphantly. “We’ll help you get your lover back! After all, the Phantom Thieves always help those in need!”

Goro sputters as his cheeks and ears turn a bright tomato red.

“Lover?! Where did you get that idea fr-”

Goro suddenly remembers his outburst from earlier. ‘The person I love is suffering…’ Goro groans in embarrassment as he covers his burning face. Why did he have to open his big fat mouth in front of all of Akira’s friends. It was bad enough when it was just Morgana, and now there would be seven more people teasing him about it.

“It’s okay Goro,” Ann giggles, “Your secret is safe with us! Besides, it’s so cute how much you care for Akira!”

“I am still a bit wary of you, but I can see your feelings towards Akira are genuine, so I won’t do anything to get in the way.” Makoto states. 

“I fully agree,” Yusuke adds, “An artistic act of young love should be left to blossom and so I will not stop you from pursuing those feelings when we are able to save Akira.”

“I dunno if I can fully trust you, but I can see how much Akira means to ya. Besides, I’m positive Akira feels the same way, since sometimes he just wouldn’t shut up about you. If you two make each other happy, I ain’t gonna get in the way. We’ll help you get each other back and steal Akira’s distorted heart.” Ryuji states as he lightly slaps Goro’s shoulder, making Goro flinch a bit at the sudden contact. 

“T-thank you all for your support,” Goro coughs out in embarrassment. “Now, as you all can see, I have Akira’s name and the location of his Palace in the Nav, however, I haven’t been able to guess his distortion of what he views the jail as.”

“You want us to help you with guessing Akira’s distortion right?” Ann asks. 

Goro nods slightly as he tilts his head down in embarrassment.

“That should be no problem!” Haru announces, “In fact, I figured we were going to be doing something like that, so I texted my chauffeur to come pick us up and to take us to the jail. We do need to be there in case we are able to guess the keyword.” 

The rest of the group looks at Haru in shock and amazement as she steps out of the cafe and waves to something far away. She pokes her head back inside as she gestures for the others to follow her. 

Goro is speechless as he follows Haru, Morgana situated in his arms. Every member seems to surpass his initial expectations. A pang of jealousy hits Goro as he thinks about them being Akira’s friends, and how much they love and support him. He wills away those pesky thoughts as the car starts driving to the detention facility. 

The ride isn’t as long, as there’s not a lot of traffic, and before they know it, the group is outside of the facility as Haru waves her chauffeur goodbye. They all stand around some bushes outside the building so as to not attract too much attention and risk someone finding them and kicking them out. 

“Alright, so as before, try coming up with anything. Any guess is fine until we can find some hints to narrow down our search.” Morgana states as Goro takes his phone out. 

“Well, how about a jail?”

“CONDITIONS HAVE NOT BEEN MET”

“Ryuji! Why would Akira see the jail as a jail? That’s not distorted at all.” Morgana chides.

“Well you said to guess anything!”

“Ugh, quiet down you two!” Ann scolds, “Let’s see… How about a museum? Since he probably might feel like he has to put himself on display at the jail?”

“CONDITIONS HAVE NOT BEEN MET”

“Oh! What about a circus? From what Akechi-san mentioned earlier, maybe Akira feels like he has to perform in front of us so we don’t worry about him?”

“CONDITIONS HAVE NOT BEEN MET”

Goro perks up at Sumire’s last statement. If Akira feels that he has to perform in front of them… Goro pulls the phone closer to him and announces his guess.

“A theater.”

“RESULTS FOUND” 

Goro’s face turns grim as the others gasp in unison. 

“A theater? What would that scenario even look like?” Yusuke asks.

“I don’t know, all we can do now is to go in and investigate it, right Akechi?” Makoto asks.

“True. You ready to go in, Goro?” Morgana asks.

Goro nods to both questions as he taps the result on his phone. 

“BEGINNING NAVIGATION.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hehehe I'm sorry I had to leave it at a cliffhanger, but hey, 4th chapter is also uploaded so no need to wait so long! Hope you enjoyed this chapter!
> 
> As always, kudos and comments are highly appreciated!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the 4th as promised! Hope you all enjoy it!

Before they all know it, they are all once again transported into the Metaverse, and as soon they open their eyes, the group is staring at a grandiose theater. There are lines of people trying to enter the theater from the main entrance. There are lights all around the building, the brightest ones illuminating its name: “The Theater of Regret.” 

Goro’s stomach moves uneasily at seeing the name of the theater, and his unease grows as the group approaches the crowd and sees that they are all wearing masks. However, Goro notices that unlike Shido’s Palace, where it was only high, snobby officials wearing masks, all the “people” seem to be wearing masks. This must mean that Akira thinks that everyone who comes to see him wears a “mask” of sorts, hiding their true selves and intentions around him.

Before Goro can delve into any depressing thoughts, he finds a vent around the sides of the building. He invites everyone over so that they can enter the Palace without being noticed by any shadows or worse, Akira’s shadow. Goro doesn’t even want to imagine what Akira’s shadow would be like. 

However, before he can come up with any theories, they all exit the vent, their clothes immediately transforming into their Phantom Thieves outfits, with Goro donning his Black Mask outfit. Great. Akira already sees them as a threat. Though as Goro thinks about it, it’s not that surprising. Akira doesn’t want anyone to know about his true feelings or how he is actually suffering. It would be natural that anyone who has even discovered this place would already be considered a threat. As soon as their clothes change, Futaba startles him all of a sudden with a yelp.

“Oracle! What’s the problem?” Queen asks worriedly.

“It’s my navigation. It seems to be weaker here! I can barely make out the enemies in here and I can’t scan the layouts of any of the floors!”

Great. Goro wouldn’t be surprised if Futaba’s loss of navigation skills was because of the Palace. Damn Akira for making it so hard for anyone to help him. 

As Goro moves his head, he suddenly finds a display with some pamphlets. He is grateful to discover that it is at least a map of the first floor. 

“Don’t worry Oracle, it seems I’ve found a map of this floor at least. Also, if you are having trouble with your navigation, let me help. I did act as a temporary navigator back when Joker and Violet first explored Maruki’s Palace. I have some experience.”

“Oh yeah!” Violet exclaims, “He did help us out as a navigator, while also fighting! I have to say he did a great job back then. Why don’t you let him help you out Oracle? Two’s always better than one!” 

Futaba nods and Goro can assume she looks grateful under her thief mask. “T-thanks Crow! That would help a lot! I’ll leave you to mapping our routes, then. I can still detect some shadows, but it may be weaker or inaccurate at times, just warning ya!” 

Goro nods to her statement. However, before he can say anything, Makoto approaches him. 

“Also, before we proceed Crow, as you know, Joker is normally our leader who makes decisions as to where we go and what we do. But, as we all know, he isn’t here to guide us, so I was wondering if you’d also like to lead us? You will be mapping out our routes, so it would make sense, plus you can use more than one Persona like Joker.” 

Goro is shocked into silence by Makoto’s pleading face and the others’ too. Did they all agree in unison for him to be the temporary leader? But why him? 

“I uh… I appreciate the offer, but wouldn’t you be the better candidate Queen? Also, don’t most of you still not trust me? Why pick  _ me _ as the leader?” 

“You are right, some of us are still a bit wary, but we are trying to give you a chance. We want you to show us that we can trust you and that you are one of us. Besides, we can all see how much you care about our leader, and, well, you have experience going through Palaces alone.” Makoto adds with a small smirk.

The others look at Goro with understanding and determination. He wouldn’t be lying if he said he felt very nervous about this decision. The others are relying on him now. They are giving him a second chance in order to do what’s right. Goro pushes down his negative thoughts as he firmly nods to Makoto. He will lead them all. He will help save Akira. 

“Alright. So since I have been appointed temporary leader, I say we use today to simply explore the layout of this first floor and learn about this Palace. Let’s try to avoid any fighting if we can.”

The others nod in agreement as they all set off to map and explore the first floor. 

The theater itself is a classical theater, with fancy lighting and flooring. There are long hallways leading to dressing rooms, backrooms, and some leading to stages. Posters fill the walls of the building. Goro notices that many of them are showings of the many feats and heists of the Phantom Thieves of Hearts. There are a few posters advertising smaller shows of some of Akira’s activities. Some of them advertise outings of him hanging out with his friends, which Goro had expected. However, there are a few that advertise special memories and moments of Akira with his parents. 

Goro feels a bit guilty for intruding into what are essentially Akira’s memories in these posters. He pushes those feelings aside as he and Futaba finish scanning and mapping out this area of the theater. He leads them to the other side of this floor to map it out before calling it a day.

“Hey Crow,” Violet asks, “I don’t know if it’s just me, but isn’t it a bit strange that we haven’t encountered any shadows?”

“Yes,” Mona agrees, “Now that you mention it, Oracle hasn’t mentioned any shadows around. I mean, we were seen as threats as soon as we entered the building, so shouldn’t there be something at least?”

“Aw come on guys!” Skull exclaims, “Don’t jinx it. I don’t care if no shadows appear, I just wanna save Joker.”

“I have to agree with Skull on this one,” Crow states, “I am not sure either as to why there aren’t any shadows around, but it’s for the best if it stays that way. Besides, we’ll end up running into Joker’s shadow at some point, so let’s not test our chances for now and finish exploring the right wing of this floor. There’s something about this Palace that’s giving me bad vibes.”

The others nod in agreement as they head down the last wing of this floor to map it out. Thankfully, they find the stairs leading to the second floor just as Goro finishes mapping out the wing. As they push their way past the masked cognitions back towards the entrance, Goro comes to a halt, making everyone stop. 

“Hey, what’s going on Cr-”

“Shh!”

Suddenly, soft whisper-like voices begin to echo around the area. They sound secretive and hesitant at first, but soon grow to a higher volume as the other members listen to the cruel jabbing voices.

“I heard he’s a dangerous criminal, one wrong look and he’ll kill you on the spot.”

“Oh god it’s him… Why’s he here in our school? He’s a threat to all of us!”

“Dangerous scum like him have no place in our society!” 

The group gasps in shock and anger at hearing these voices slander Akira. 

Goro grips his hands until the claws in his outfit leave marks on them. As he should have guessed, all those comments and remarks  _ did  _ get to Akira. On top of trying to hide his mourning, Akira was trying to hide just how much all of these harmful rumors and gossip actually hurt him. He wants nothing more than to hunt down these people for hurting the boy he loves. But he’ll have to restrain himself for now, he  _ is  _ the leader of the Phantom Thieves, even if it’s temporary. He needs to try to set a good example, and killing others for shit talking your crush may not be a good practice to encourage.

“L-let’s head back for today. I’ve already mapped out the first floor here, including the safe rooms, so we should be good to-”

“Guys, look out! There’s shadows approaching us!” 

At Futaba’s sudden cry, four large and powerful looking shadows surround the team, trapping them in the middle with no opening to escape. Everyone starts to freak out at the sudden ambush. Goro growls in frustration at being cornered by shadows just as they were going to leave. He just wants to scream as he tears them apart piece by piece. But the team is depending on his orders. He needs to lead them. 

“Everyone! Get into formation! It looks like we’re going to have to fight our way out of this one! Oracle, see if you can scan their weaknesses while we try to take them down! Everyone else, team up in pairs and try to take each one down!”

Goro gets into attack position as Sumire comes by his side to team up with him. They both wordlessly nod to each other as they summon their personas. Goro summons Hereward and tries to hit the shadow with a Megidolaon, hoping to kill the shadow quickly so they can all escape. However, one of his strongest attacks barely makes a scratch on the shadow as it uses a bless attack, knocking Goro down. He growls as he tries to stand back up, but his body gives up on him as he sinks back to the ground. Damn it! He can’t lose this early! How are the shadows this strong? They haven’t even gone deeper into the Palace yet. 

He somehow registers Sumire’s voice as she tosses him some medicine to heal his injuries as she tries to distract the shadow from attacking him even further. 

Goro is amazed to see Sumire move flawlessly as she attacks the shadow and shoots it from all around, aggravating it even more. She’s definitely grown from when they worked together in Maruki’s Palace. Goro is proud. However, he can see Sumire is getting tired from distracting it as it tries to attack her. 

“Crow!” Oracle’s voice echoes throughout his head. “I’ve scanned these shadows and they don’t seem to have a specific weakness! But I think if you can get a Crit on this shadow, it should create an opening for us to escape! I’ll tell the others of this while you and Violet try to Crit the shadow!” 

“Thanks Oracle!” Goro replies as he slowly stands up, using his remaining strength to cast a Debilitate against the shadow. 

  
  


“Now Violet! Try to Crit the shadow!” Goro shouts as Sumire uses that opportunity to nod a thanks as she summons Ella. She casts a Sword Dance as the shadow falls to its knees.

“Got it Crow!”

“Great! Alright everyone! We have an opening! Let’s retreat!”

The others thankfully were informed ahead of time, and they all start running towards the entrance, the shadows close behind them. Goro curses as he tries to take his phone out, telling the Nav to return them to the real world. Just as one of the shadows was going to catch Goro’s leg, the Nav successfully takes them out of Akira’s Palace and dumps them back outside of the detention facility. They all crash towards the ground as they all groan in pain.

* * *

Tatsuya and Jun are very concerned and worried as they talk to Akira, asking him if he’s alright. 

Akira looks like an absolute disaster. The bags under his eyes are even more prominent than before and he is struggling to sit in an upright position. His eyes are also very red, and he is fighting as hard as he can to muster a smile to his parents. He had absolutely no idea that his parents would come all the way from Sumaru to come see him. Damn it, Sojiro must have seen through him and called his fathers, worried about him. 

He is such a failure. He can’t have everyone worrying about him, least of all his parents. They have been nothing but worried about Akira ever since he was sent to live in Tokyo for a year. Akira has been nothing but a burden to his parents, and now he’s going to make their lives even more difficult, all because he can barely contain his repressed feelings and his negative thoughts are now consuming him every day he spends in this miserable place. Akira knows how perceptive his fathers are, he won’t be able to trick them as easily as he can Sojiro and his friends, but he can try to lighten his struggles a bit. Just omit a few of the details as to why he looks horrible.

“I’m fine dad, papa. I just had a rough night. Not to mention I’ve been working on many volunteer service tasks lately and the food here kinda sucks. But other than that I’m fine, really.”

Tatsuya and Jun do not buy the poor excuse of a lie their son is telling them. Tatsuya wants nothing more than to hold Akira in his arms and comfort him until all of his pain is gone. He wants to punch all of these cops for making their son’s life miserable and ruining his reputation over an offense he never committed. Jun smiles sadly as he lays his hand against the glass barrier, Akira mimicking the action on the other side. 

“Akira, I know there’s something else that’s bothering you. We’re your fathers, you can’t fool us that easily. But we aren’t going to force you to tell us what’s wrong. We’ll be staying in Tokyo for a bit so we’ll come back to visit as much as we can. Whenever you feel ready to talk to us, we will be waiting, alright sweetie?”

“Jun is right. Take your time. You’ll be free soon, but if you want to talk to us before then, we are more than happy to listen. As your aunt Maya says, ‘think positive.’” 

Akira’s breath hitches as he tries to fight back the tears welling up in his eyes. Tatsuya and Jun notice immediately and it breaks their hearts to see Akira suffering like this. Akira lifts his hand again to the glass as his voice shakes.

“T-thanks guys. I’ll be fine. I… I l-love you both!”

Jun smiles a watery smile as he presses his hand hard against the glass, Tatsuya adding some extra weight as he lays his hand on top of his husband’s. 

“We love you too Akira… so very much.” Jun replies as Tatsuya nods his head vigorously. 

Akira manages to actually give a barely visible, but genuine smile as he stares back at his parents. He looks up at the clock in the background behind his fathers as he shakily sighs and lets his hand down. 

“Visiting hours are over… Thanks for coming… It was nice to see you dad and papa.”

“It was nice to see you too Akira.” Tatsuya replies with a soft but sad smile. “Please take care and we will come to visit again soon.” Jun nods in response as he stands up and holds Tatsuya’s hand.

Akira nods as he lethargically walks out of the visiting area. As soon as Akira leaves, Jun lets out a shaky breath as he grips Tatsuya’s hand tighter in stress and worry. Thankfully it doesn’t hurt Tatsuya and he squeezes back in order to try to reassure his husband. 

“Oh Tacchi… Our baby… He’s suffering…” Jun forces out, his voice shaking. 

“Sakura-san was right, he doesn’t look good at all…” Tatsuya adds in agreement. “But don’t worry Jun. We will help Akira the best that we can.” 

Jun nods as he sniffs, wanting to believe his husband’s words, but finding it very hard to do so with his brain being an emotional mess. They begin to make their way out of the building as Jun decides to ask Tatsuya a dire question once there are no police ears around to listen in.

“By the way Tacchi, that strange resonance… It felt much different today than the previous time we came to visit Akira. This time… it felt like something wild and berserk that would strangle someone if it had the chance. But I still don’t know what it could be or why we can sense it around Akira. Do… Do you think that may have something to do with why he’s feeling so depressed?” Jun dares to ask. 

Tatsuya’s breath hitches as he tries to figure out how to answer that question. He’s wanted to avoid thinking about that strange resonance both he and Jun sensed in Akira ever since it first came up. 

Even though deep deep down, they know what it means, it can’t be possible. Akira’s never played the Persona Game, as far as they are aware. They made sure to never mention anything related to the topic to him. Hell, Tatsuya, along with Maya and her team, were able to drive away Nyarlathotep. There’s no way Akira has a… No no no! Tatsuya tries to deny it. Akira can’t have one. He absolutely can’t. They are a simple normal family trying to raise their son. But that still doesn’t explain his strange resonance… 

“I… I honestly don’t know, Jun. I don’t want to think it is, but we don’t know for sure. I have never in my life sensed a resonance that strange before. I swear if that damn butterfly is somehow back and involved in this… I will-”

However, before Tatsuya can get another word out, he and Jun hear a loud fall and several voices crying out in pain. They simply look at each other as they burst out of the building, looking for the source of the sound. 

They run outside to find a group of teenagers about Akira’s age all on the ground as they groan in pain and try to sit up. They both recognize most of the faces as Akira’s group of friends, with the exception of Goro and Sumire. But what are they all doing together lying on the ground? In front of the jail nonetheless? They push those questions aside as they run over to the group of teens.

“Hey, are you all ok?” Tatsuya asks as he helps Ryuji and Goro up as Jun helps Futaba and Sumire. 

The rest are able to get up and they bow towards Tatsuya and Jun, thanking them. 

“Ah, thank you, but we’re fine! Our friend here simply tripped which made us all bump into him and trip as well.” Haru states with as much grace and politeness as she can come up with on the spot. 

Tatsuya and Jun look at each other briefly, a look of suspicion flashing across their faces for a second. The sound they heard certainly didn’t sound like someone tripped. It almost sounded like they had fallen from the sky… Not to mention why are they all together at the jail when visiting hours are over? 

“All right, if you say so. Ah, I recognize most of you! You’re all friends of Akira, right?” Jun asks. 

“Yes we are! Oh yeah that’s right! You’re both Akira’s dads! I remember meeting you back in October!” Ann exclaims as she bows to them. The others, except Goro and Sumire, bow as well in response. 

Goro had only seen a picture of Akira’s parents once on Akira’s phone and beyond that had only heard about them being mentioned in conversation, such as when Sojiro stated he was going to call them. He didn’t expect they would actually come to Tokyo, but he supposes he shouldn’t be surprised. He remembers Akira mentioning them one time and how much he loved and missed them. Goro can see in person how gentle and kind they appear, and is happy that at least Akira has wonderful, loving parents. He doesn’t want to admit that it makes him jealous, so he shoves those thoughts away for now. 

Tatsuya and Jun notice the two new faces as they smile at them. 

“Oh, I believe we haven’t met yet,” Jun states as he approaches the two new faces. “I’m Jun Kurusu and this is my husband, Tatsuya Kurusu.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you two,” Tatsuya adds.

Goro and Sumire nod as they bow.

“My name is Goro Akechi and this is Sumire Yoshizawa. The pleasure is ours as well,” Goro states as Sumire nods in agreement. 

“Yes definitely, it’s nice to see that Akira-senpai has such wonderful parents!”

“Oh, well aren’t you a flatterer?” Jun states with a teasing smile as Sumire blushes a bright red out of embarrassment. 

“Oh! Ah…. I-I didn’t mean… I’m sorry!”

“It’s ok, my husband just likes to tease.” Tatsuya says as he lays a comforting hand on Sumire’s shoulder, while Jun tries to stifle a giggle.

“Jun, please stop, you’re going to scare her.”

“...ahaha sorry Tacchi, I couldn’t help myself,” Jun replies as he wipes his eyes.

Goro isn’t going to lie and say that Jun Kurusu doesn’t sort of scare him. He’s not sure what it is about him, but Jun has that sort of aura that would terrify even the most dangerous of criminals. While at first glance, Tatsuya seemed more intimidating due to his height and build, Goro feels more like Jun is the one who should never be messed with. Maybe the thought that he’s meeting his crush’s parents has something to do with why his nerves are acting up.

“By the way, I hope you don’t mind me asking this, but what are you all doing here so late in the evening? If you came to visit Akira, visiting hours have already ended, you know.” Tatsuya asks inconspicuously, hoping to get any sort of hint as to their strange appearance here.

“Oh! We were all coming back from a movie, and we were all going to head our separate ways until Ryuji tripped and made us all fall. We wanted to watch something in the area so we could feel a little like Akira was with us.” Goro states with his polite, Detective Prince voice. He really hates going back to old habits, but they absolutely cannot know the truth. 

“Hey! I’m not that-”

Ryuji is cut off by Ann elbowing him as all of them try to put on their best smiles, hoping not to arouse any suspicion from Tatsuya and Jun. 

Unfortunately, this seems to have the opposite effect as Tatsuya and Jun have the urge to question them even more, not believing their little story. Sakura-san had said that they were all at a park today when they asked him about Akira’s friends. However, they all seem like good kids and they don’t want to scare them even more, so they decide to let them be for now. 

“All right. Well it’s getting late and you should head home before it gets dark.” Tatsuya states as the others nod. 

“It was nice to see you all, be safe!” Jun states as he and Tacchi head off towards the station. 

The others begin to split off, and Goro hoists the bag with Morgana over his shoulder as he takes another route to the station. Morgana pokes his head out of the bag, speaking up for the first time since they exited the Palace. 

“Psst! Be careful about Akira’s dads. They seem like really nice people, but I think they might be onto us. Especially Tatsuya. Akira did tell me that he used to be a police detective. They absolutely cannot know about all of this, there’s no way they would understand the complexity of the Metaverse and Personas.”

Goro nods as he lightly pushes down Morgana as they reach the station, eliciting an angry yelp from the cat. He did notice how Tatsuya seemed suspicious of them, especially since their lie wasn’t very convincing, at least to him. Thanks, Ryuji. It doesn’t help that Tatsuya used to work in the police force. But then again, Goro had been a detective himself. He’ll have to use his skills to ensure that Tatsuya and Jun don’t find out about any of this, and to keep the team out of their suspicions. 

It is his newfound responsibility as the temporary leader of the Phantom Thieves of Hearts. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tatsuya and Jun being a bit sus at the PT here... 
> 
> alksjdfklj but anyways I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! I'm gonna try to start on the 5th one but I recently got p5r and I've been spending my time playing it before college starts again for me. Thanks once again to @ emptymorgue for editing both chapters 3 and 4 and I hope you all look forward to the next chapter!
> 
> Kudos and comments are always highly appreciated!
> 
> You can find me on tumblr and twitter at @ softelesbian and my art tumblr, twitter, and instagram at @ softegaby


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the 5th chapter! Sorry it took some time to come out, I've been playing P5R a lot recently. I also decided to write this chapter in Tatsuya and Jun's POV, to see their thoughts and feelings to everything that's happening! 
> 
> But anyways, hope y'all enjoy this!

The next few days go by in a blur for Tatsuya and Jun. Their son is depressed and suffering and because he’s in that detention facility, they can’t even so much as hug him. Not only that, but his friends… 

There is absolutely no mistaking it. Their resonances… Both Tatsuya and Jun are one hundred percent sure - they are all Persona users. It instills a strong sense of deja vu, seeing this group of kids, about the same age as they were back then, wielding Personas… who knows what trials they have gone through. Not only that, but Goro Akechi, the boy Akira has talked about with them, the one he came to them for advice on how to ask out, has the exact same kind of resonance as Akira… 

They’d tried. Ever since they’d come to visit all those months ago, they’d tried _so hard_ to convince themselves that it was just them worrying unnecessarily over Akira. That something like this could never happen to their precious son, that it had to be the impossible kind of coincidence. For the first time since all those years ago, when they finally regained their memories of each other after defying fate, Tatsuya broke. Jun was glad that Sojiro and his daughter, Futaba hadn’t been home yet, because Tatsuya had absolutely lost it. His composure had crumbled to the ground, much as he himself had done the minute they’d made it back to the guest room Sojiro let them stay in, slamming his fist into the ground as he trembled violently, choking on his sobs. 

“Why… Why him?? Why him of all people? I… We drove them off, they shouldn’t be able to give anyone a Persona, let alone Akira… So why?! Why do our son and his friends have Personas when we fought those two to prevent this exact situation?! Is it too much to ask for a normal, happy life?!”

Jun knelt down to hold Tatsuya as he sobbed loudly into his shoulder. 

“I-I don’t know either… I honestly… can’t… I… Are we bad parents Tacchi? Is there something we could have done to prevent this? I’m scared… I’m so scared Tacchi…” Jun chokes out as he rubs his husband’s back while tears run steadily down his cheeks.

They simply held each other as they let themselves cry over the fate of their son and his friends.

Tatsuya and Jun use these days to visit Akira as much as they can, talking to and comforting him, hoping he will open up a bit to them. Alas, he doesn’t. In fact, Jun can see he’s closing himself up even more, so they limit their visits to try to give Akira some time to think.

When they aren’t visiting Akira, they go over to Leblanc, having heard Akira talk extensively about how “breathtakingly amazing” the coffee and curry are and how they “absolutely _had_ to try them someday”. An additional benefit, of course, is how well it doubles as an opportunity to study the current resident of Leblanc, Goro Akechi. 

They learn from small conversations that he is currently residing in Leblanc because his mother is no longer around and his father was accused of some serious crimes, so Goro had nowhere else to go. They also learn that, in exchange for staying in Leblanc, Goro helps Sojiro out in the cafe by serving customers and learning from him how to brew coffee and make curry. While it’s noticeable that Goro is still very rusty, Tatsuya and Jun are more than happy to volunteer to try Goro’s coffee and curry, noting his improvement and giving advice on what to fix for next time. 

Goro seems to brighten up whenever they give him advice, and it warms their hearts. Sojiro mentioned to them that Goro had a rough life, being a teenage celebrity while suffering from his father’s abuse, and then losing his fame after his father’s actions were exposed. Tatsuya finds himself wishing he could find out who Goro’s father is and punch him for abusing his son, his fatherly instincts coming out to protect Goro.

While Goro Akechi seems like a nice boy, and they can see why their son has feelings for him, Tatsuya and Jun are still concerned about why Goro and the others were all at outside the jail the other day, and if they are up to something. Jun is concerned at first that trying to question Goro about his resonance will scare him and make him wary, but Tatsuya is able to convince Jun that it’s a good idea. So long as he sticks to simple questions as to not alarm him or make him suspicious, knowing he was a high school detective previously before the whole incident with his father, Tastuya is confident that it won’t be suspicious.

“So what do you like to do in your free time when you aren’t helping around in the cafe?” Tatsuya asks one day. 

“Oh! Well, I actually do quite enjoy working in Leblanc, as it gives me something to do, but if I have to say something else, I like to read. I also enjoy cycling and bouldering from time to time as well. ” Goro says, somewhat surprised by the seemingly innocent question. 

If it were anyone else, they wouldn’t have thought about anything deeper and simply answered the question. But Goro is not just ‘anyone else’. He was a detective. And while he may not be one at the moment, he still has his “detective’s intuition” and judging by how suspicious Tatsuya and Jun were of him before, he has a feeling that they aren’t asking these questions purely out of curiosity. He truly hates resorting to his old habits, especially after everything that’s happened to him, but alas, he can’t have Akira’s fathers finding out what he and the others do, let alone what they are planning for the next few days. 

It seems to work at first, at least to Tatsuya. However, it soon becomes clear that Goro is wary of him and Jun, especially after he asks some very specific questions, such as if he played a childhood game where he had to chant a name and then tag people along in a circle. Even when he asks Goro how he met Akira and how they became so close in a short amount of time, Jun can see Goro tense up and fidget with the hem of his apron, looking conflicted about his answer.Goro lies scarily well as he states it was all simply coincidence or pretends to be occupied with something. While Tatsuya wants to learn more - and perhaps more importantly, see if he can get Goro not to lie - Jun convinces him to stop for now, since they don’t want to scare Goro off. After all, they do have some information, even if it’s vague. 

However, when Goro returns to the cafe with bags of various medicines, questions _must_ be asked..

“Where did you get all of this medicine and what do you need it for?” Tatsuya asks as he’s eating some curry Sojiro made. 

Goro flinches slightly as he looks at his bag in mock confusion and then gives out a nervous laugh. “O-Oh, you mean this? Ann got sick a few days ago and she asked me to get her some medicine from the clinic here. I- Haha, well, I might have gone a bit overboard, but you know how it is, right? One person in the friend group gets sick and then suddenly everyone’s getting it. I, uh, wanted to head that off. Just in case. ”

Despite Goro’s ability to lie fairly convincingly, both Tatsuya and Jun see through it immediately, since the group, including Ann, all got together to study in the cafe the day before. Still, they try not to think too hard about it. As long as he isn't doing anything illegal or dangerous with the medicine, they have no business asking him about his purchases. 

Unfortunately, life likes to test the two as one day they walk into the cafe only to see the whole group at a table, with guns all sprawled out in front of them. Upon closer inspection, Tatsuya notes that they are not, in fact, real guns, but model guns that happen to look very realistic. He doesn’t miss the quick panicked expressions on the teenagers’ faces as he asks why there are model guns on the table. 

“O-Oh! That! Well you see, Ryuji here loves collecting model guns and, with me knowing a bit about different types of guns having worked as a detective, he wanted my input on them.” Goro states, his face calm but with a slight tremor in his tone of voice. 

“Yes!” Haru agrees, “Ryuji also wanted to show off his collection to us and teach us about the different models!”

While the statement _sounds_ believable enough, knowing some boys are into that sort of thing, years of being a police detective and a Persona user tell Tatsuya that the group, once again, is lying to him. He was able to tolerate the medicine, but guns? Jun grabs his husband’s arm and gently pats it as he gives a nervous laugh. 

“Oh don’t mind my husband here. He’s just a bit worried about you kids, and wants to make sure you are all safe and not handling actual weapons. They are very dangerous, and difficult to use even for adults, so neither of us would want to see them in the hands of teenagers, you know.”

The group all nod, internally grimacing at the unintentional irony present in Jun’s last statement. They agree to be very careful as they pack up the weapons and head out, Goro staying behind as he pets Morgana’s head. 

That is another thing that Tatsuya and Jun find extremely suspicious about this small group: Morgana. While he certainly looks like any other cat, they can sense Morgana’s resonance, so he must be a Persona user as well. But it doesn’t make any sense. How can a cat wield a Persona? There’s no way a cat could play the Persona Game and they both doubt Philemon would just randomly hand one out to a cat. But then again, it’s clear things have changed since Tatsuya and his friends all awakened to their Personas. Hell, Persona-using cats aside, there was already something strange about it all, something to do with Akira and Goro. Their resonances feel like one of a Persona user, but the foreign, intense energy they emit is something entirely new. 

However, learning the cat is a Persona user isn’t the only thing that makes Morgana suspicious. It’s the fact that he never makes any sort of noise when Tatsuya and Jun are around. This contradicts Akira’s assertion that Morgana was the loudest and noisiest cat he’s ever known, with late night texts of Akira complaining about how Morgana won’t shut up until he goes to sleep. The fact that the cat is very quiet now, especially when only Tatsuya and Jun are in the cafe, rings alarm bells. Despite that, Tatsuya and Jun decide not to dwell on it for too long, not wanting Goro or Sojiro to think them insane if they claim it’s suspicious that Morgana doesn’t make any noise when around them. 

Later that night, Jun and Tatsuya are getting ready for bed when Jun sits down next to Tatsuya on the bed, gently grabbing Tatsuya’s hand and squeezing it. Tatsuya returns the gesture as he sighs tiredly, giving Jun a fond look. 

“Tacchi, I was thinking… You know how Akira’s friends are acting all strange around us? Probably because they’re doing something they think we wouldn’t understand or approve of? Well, why don’t we try gathering the kids over at the cafe and just… tell them we’re Persona users. Now before you call me crazy, just hear me out,” Jun continues as Tatsuya stares at him as though he’d said that Maya cleaned her apartment. “Something is going on with them, and it almost certainly has to do with Personas, because why else would they be so secretive with us? There’s no way these kids know of any other Persona users, and seeing as we’re the only other ones around, they may trust us more if we tell them we have the same ability. We can try to help them and give them advice on how to properly handle their Personas. Who knows if Philemon is still around, and even if he is, I highly doubt he taught them anything.”

“Well, if he’s still around, I woudn’t mind socking his face a few more times for pulling these kids, including our son, into this whole ordeal. Plus, Akira’s resonance was very... off... the few times we’ve gone to visit him. What’s not to say that something involving his Persona is what’s making him suffer right now?”

Jun sighs as he rubs Tatsuya’s palm with his thumb. “You could be right. I mean, a Persona is a reflection, a mask of one’s self. It’s plausible that Akira’s depression is causing something to happen with his Persona, and therefore making him suffer more than he already would be? It would explain why his resonance has been odd since we’ve arrived here.” 

Tatsuya grimaces as Jun mentions the strange resonance possibly being the reason why their son is suffering. He wouldn’t be surprised though, and this thought gives him all the more reason and determination to follow Jun’s plan. He nods as he holds Jun’s hand firmly with his other hand. 

“You’re right. These kids need some adults to fall back on. I know they have Sakura-san, but he isn’t a Persona user and most likely doesn’t know anything about their existence. They could use someone like us to help them. Besides, I haven’t seen the Velvet Room anywhere. Wouldn’t Igor at least help them all out? It would be uncharacteristic of him not to.”

“Yeah, now that you mention it, it is a bit strange that we haven’t seen the Velvet Room around. Hopefully the entrances are just in places we haven’t been. But this proves even more that they could use the help. Besides, we may learn something about what is making Akira so depressed.”

Tatsuya nods again in agreement as he settles into bed and turns off the light, hoping to get as much sleep as he needs for tomorrow. He leans over and kisses Jun on the cheek, eliciting a fond and warm smile from him. Jun turns around as he drapes his arm across Tatsuya’s waist and nuzzles him. 

“Good night Tacchi, I love you.”

“Love you too Jun. Sleep well.”

* * *

Goro is honestly surprised that Akira’s parents haven’t caught onto him and the Phantom Thieves yet with how Tatsuya makes sure to “interrogate” him whenever he and Jun come to visit Leblanc. As much as Goro feels bad about lying to them, he simply cannot tell them. He’s also a bit surprised that they haven’t mentioned anything about Morgana being eerily silent around them, but then again, maybe they haven’t noticed since he looks like a normal cat. It’s not like Morgana has been asking for their attention. 

Speaking of Morgana… 

“Hey! Goro! Are you listening?” Morgana snaps as Goro erratically blinks his eyes and refocuses his attention back on the cat.

“My apologies, I got lost in thought for a bit. What were you saying?” Goro states in the least apologetic tone he can muster. 

“Ughh… As I was saying! Tomorrow is our second infiltration day, we have all the medicine and weapons ready, so the only thing you still have to get is a good night’s rest, _leader._ You’ll need it as we traverse deeper into the Palace.”

“Yes, I am aware, thank you. I was already about to get into bed.” Goro huffs out as he reaches over to turn off the light. Morgana gives him a skeptical look as he settles in his usual spot on the bed. 

“What were you thinking of, by the way? You looked a little troubled there.”

“It-it’s nothing… just go to sleep.”

“No! Stop hiding your feelings idiot! If this has something to do with the Palace, then we all need to know! You’d be no different from Akira if you’re gonna start hiding something just to make us feel better.”

Goro scowls at the nosy cat as he tries to find a way to word his feelings. As much as he hates to admit it, Morgana’s right. He’s the leader now. He has to take into consideration the team now, which includes him. He can’t let himself become a martyr-like leader like Akira, not sharing crucial info and sacrificing himself for the sake of the others’ feelings. 

“It’s just… I suppose I am a bit nervous about entering the Palace again, especially after that surprise encounter from last time… Not to mention, Akira’s fathers. They are almost definitely onto us and at the least suspect us. We can’t let them know about all of this. I know this is ironic of me to say, but I really hate lying to them of all people about it. They don’t deserve this.”

“Yeah,” Morgana agrees as his face turns solemn, “But as you said, they can’t know and we’re gonna have to try to keep it that way. It’s too bad they aren’t Persona users, since then we could tell them what’s really happening to Akira. But they aren’t, so we can’t. They don’t even know anything about cognitive psience.” he shakes his head. “I do agree on the Palace statement though. I hope we can avoid surprise attacks from shadows, but knowing the scene we caused last time, I wouldn’t be surprised if the security is higher when we enter tomorrow… But let’s not stress about that right now. We need rest…” Morgana tops off as he yawns.

Goro gives a wry smile as he turns over. He simply nods in agreement, knowing how futile it is to stress over something that has yet to occur. He’s almost convinced himself by the time the remaining scent of Akira on the pillow and sheets lulls him into a restful sleep. 

* * *

Tatsuya and Jun are woken by the stray beams of light entering the window in the guest bedroom and the muffled noise of Tokyo traffic. They get ready for the day and leave the Sakura household after finishing a small breakfast Sojiro made for them.

Tatsuya and Jun make their way over to Leblanc, passing by the small grocery store and clinic in the backstreets of Yongen-Jaya. They can see the charm in the small area and why Akira grew so fond of it. As they approach the corner to where Leblanc is, they stop when they hear a high-pitched, unrecognizable voice. They peek around the corner and see Goro standing outside the cafe, a bag on his shoulder with what appears to be Morgana in it. 

“Are you sure you have the medicine? I don’t see or feel it here in the bag.”

Goro sighs as he rolls his eyes and readjusts the bag on his shoulder. “Yes Morgana. It’s in my jacket, as to not draw so much attention.” 

“Nice job, _leader!_ That’s the way a Phantom Thief does things! It’s a good thing we already distributed the new weapons amongst everyone already.”

Goro flinches as he jerks his head and harshly shushes Morgana. “I’ve told you not to call me leader! You know I’m only filling in for Akira. You’re lucky no one else is around here and can understand you, you insufferable cat! This is how I was able to figure you all out back then, you know!”

“Yeah, but the opposite is also true! We were able to figure you out because you heard something about delicious pan-”

Goro elbows the bag, eliciting a pained cry from Morgana. He is so grateful that no one else can understand Morgana - or see Goro elbowing a bag with a cat in it. It’s definitely a good thing they decided to infiltrate the Palace early on a Sunday morning, since it’ll bring less attention to themselves than doing it after school. Goro’s also glad Sojiro gave him the day off specifically for this. He sighs and tries to manage his irritation at the cat as he checks his phone, specifically the new group chat Futaba made, confirming everyone is on their way to the jail. Morgana pokes his head back out of the bag and sees everyone’s texts. 

“Alright! You ready for day 2 of infiltrating Akira’s Palace?” 

“Ready as I’ll ever be, I suppose…” Goro sighs as he starts heading over to the station.

Tatsuya and Jun are stunned speechless as they stay frozen on the corner after hearing the entire conversation.

Did they just hear Morgana, a cat, actually speak? It would explain why Morgana was always silent around them., but how is that even possible? Could only a select number of people hear him? 

But that isn’t what shocked them the most. Morgana mentioned being a phantom thief. Did he mean… the Phantom Thieves of Hearts? And there was something about Goro being the leader - or well, a temporary one for Akira. Jun’s breathing hitches. He knew it. He’d had his suspicions and wouldn’t be surprised if Tatsuya did as well, but to hear it come directly out of Morgana and Goro’s mouths was too much. Jun tries to push down his inner turmoil as he turns to his husband. Tatsuya isn’t looking any better than Jun feels, his face pale with shock and devastation. Tatsuya kept up with the news on the Phantom Thieves more than Jun did, and he’d seen the report of the suicide of their leader… No… 

Jun decides not to question it for now. Akira is definitely alive after all, and they need to follow Morgana and Goro to find out what they are up to. Apparently infiltrating Akira’s palace? What did that even mean? Was it just going to the jail? 

“Jun!” Tatsuya exclaims, breaking through his husband’s racing thoughts as he grabs his hand. “We don’t have time to think right now! We need to catch up to those two. Find out what is going on with Akira!” 

Jun nods as Tatsuya leads him to the station and they manage to catch the train headed to the stop where the jail is located. 

The train ride feels like an eternity, frantic questions and thoughts about Morgana, the Phantom Thieves, and Akira swirling around both of their heads. How did their son end up as the leader of the Phantom Thieves? When did he gain the ability to summon a Persona? How did Akira fake his “suicide?” What did Morgana mean by ‘palace’? 

They don’t know how long it takes, but they finally arrive at their stop and quickly exit the station, making their way to the jail. They manage to catch up to Morgana and Goro before they arrive at the facility, but make sure to maintain a good distance away from them as they nervously follow the pair. As soon as they arrive at the facility, it’s time to hide behind a large sign for the place as they see the rest of the group all huddled around some bushes to the side of the facility. It’s easy to snoop on them, as the group isn’t exactly the quietest, with there being eight children and a cat. They strain to hear as much as they can to try to figure out what the group is up to. Tatsuya and Jun feel a bit bad for spying on them, but with overhearing them as being the Phantom Thieves and already knowing they’re Persona users, they don’t feel as bad. They need to make sure these kids aren’t doing anything dangerous or illegal. 

“Hey Goro! How are you and Mona doing?” Ann asks.

“We’re doing as well as we can be, thank you Ann.”

“Did you bring the medicine for today’s infiltration?” Makoto asks.

“Yup! Goro has them in his jacket!” Morgana replies as Goro gives everyone some of the medicine to hold onto so he doesn’t have to carry all of it. 

“I’m assuming you all have your new weapons as well?” Goro asks. 

The team nods as each person shows their new model guns and specialty weapons. Unbeknownst to the group, Jun lets out a shocked gasp and Tatsuya has to clamp Jun’s mouth shut before they are discovered. Those are only model weapons, what in the world are they all planning?

“Alright, ya gonna pull up the Nav now?” Ryuji asks.

Goro nods as he pulls out his phone. Tatsuya and Jun have no idea what they are talking about, but as soon as Goro taps something on his phone, they start to feel dizzy and lightheaded as their surroundings start to warp. Alarmed by this, they hold onto each other tightly, closing their eyes as their surroundings continue to shift and the sky turns a tint of red. As soon as they open their eyes again, they know they are not in front of the prison as they stare at a bright building illuminating their dark surroundings. Its name, “Theater of Regret,” is flashing at them. 

Just where in the hell are they?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hehehehe... :3c sorry, I had to put in a cliffhanger in there! And this time, no extra chapter. But I will try my hardest to get the next chapter out as soon as I can! Again, thank you @ emptymorgue for proofreading/editing! 
> 
> As always, kudos and comments are always appreciated!
> 
> You can find me at my tumblr and twitter at @ softelesbian and my art tumblr, twitter, and instagram at @ softegaby


	6. Temporary Hiatus

Hey y'all! So sorry about the lack of update for this fic, but I just wanted to let y'all know that I have started college again so I am much more busy now than before, so I haven't had a lot of time to write sadly. Not to mention that I've recently gotten into another fandom, so my brain cells aren't as focused on this fic rn as before.

I'm sorry to say that I'm putting this fic on a temporary hiatus until I can find the time and motivation to write the next chapter. I am not going to abandon this fic, I still want to write it through till the end, however, updates will be slow for the time being so I apologize for that. But thank you to everyone who has shown support for this fic and I will try to continue this fic when I have more time. I hope y'all can understand <3


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